Unbreakable
by Dreams Shape the World
Summary: AU. "All he wanted to do was hold her, but he couldn't. He was with someone else and she...well, he had never deserved her."
1. Chapter 1

**I hesitated to upload this; after all, I'm horrible about updates and I haven't added to _Defying Gravity _since 2009. I keep working on the next chapter, but it never feels right; many things have changed about my GH interests/likes since starting the fic (particularly, my love of NEm is no longer.) However, I have every intention of finishing it (eventually.) **

**In the mean time, I hope you'll enjoy this AU fic. The idea just came to me one day and I wrote it months ago, but, as I said, wasn't sure about publishing. I've tweaked it since then and tried to make the chapter longer, but the ending just felt right.**

**Enjoy!**

XOXO

A deep sigh escaped from Anthony Zacchara's lips as he looked over the mahogany desk to his youngest daughter. He knew she had been miserable for weeks; hell, months maybe, ever since she learned of her ex's engagement. He hated seeing her like this. Normally, his Lizzie had the vibrant personality inherited from his late wife, but when his wife and daughter loved, they loved with their whole heart. And Elizabeth's heart was crushed; he hoped not beyond repair.

"Lizzie…" he started.

She shook her head and continued to stare at the gold-framed photo of her mother and her grandparents. Maria smiled brightly as her hand grasped her mother's, her other hand resting on her rounded stomach. Steve and Audrey Hardy looked directly at the camera, their gazes overflowing with love, neither aware that Maria would be lost to them only mere days later. Elizabeth swallowed hard, keeping the tears inside. She set the frame back down on the desk. A placental abruption, they called it; the doctors had been able to save her little brother, but Elizabeth didn't have the chance to say goodbye to the woman who was her whole world for six years.

"Lizzie," Anthony repeated.

She looked into his eyes and saw the ever-present worry. Anthony had once been called heartless, or so she heard; Grandmother Zacchara said that Maria had changed him for the better. Elizabeth believed her grandmother; her father was too loving for him to be as cold as people claimed.

"I'm okay, Daddy," the petite brunette assured him.

"Bee, you aren't okay. Do you want to –"

Elizabeth shook her head vehemently, knowing Anthony was about to ask, again, if she wanted to talk about it when her answer would be, yet again, that she didn't.

"No. Daddy, he's happy. That's good; I want him to be happy. He deserves to be."

"And what about you, Lizzie? You deserve to be happy, too. Hell, if anyone deserves that, you do. When are you going to stop punishing yourself?"

"Daddy…don't. Please."

She lifted her pleading gaze back to Anthony and he let out another sigh.

"Very well. I'll let it go…for now."

Elizabeth granted him with a warm smile, so reminiscent of his wife's that it clutched at Anthony's heartstrings. He was used to that; losing his wife was something he knew for a fact that he would never get over. But he stayed strong, for his children.

He had never dreamed that his own child would feel that pain.

XOXO

Dr. Robin Scorpio-Zacchara watched as her younger sister quietly left their father's study. Closing her medical textbook, she slipped out of the cozy armchair and hurried to Elizabeth. Since Robin's arrival at the mansion exactly 20 years ago, the two were practically inseparable. Maria Zacchara was a close friend of Robin's mother, Anna Scorpio, and when the Zaccharas were being threatened, Anna and husband Robert had personally taken on the case. The superspies were close to nailing the suspect when they were killed in a boat explosion; the official report was faulty wiring, but everyone knew better.

Maria had convinced Anthony to take Robin in and eventually adopt her. Her uncle, Mac Scorpio, wasn't pleased, but he wasn't ready to raise a child and he adored Maria. Everyone adored Maria. After Maria's death, Mac, now married with a baby on the way, had considered fighting for custody but Robin refused to leave Elizabeth's side.

Robin hated to see her friend in pain then and she hated to see her sister in pain now. If Robin hadn't taken an oath to save lives, she would have no problem ending his, friend or not. As it was, she had still offered and was disappointed when Elizabeth refused.

"Elizabeth..."

The artist held her hand up, stopping the other woman before she could ask. "No. Robin, I don't want to talk about it, not even with you, okay?"

Robin frowned. "Do you want me to call Emily?"

She shook her head. "No, Em's spending the day with Zander."

"Zander's your friend too."

"I know, but I want to give them some time alone."

"At least let me call Brenda."

"We both know that she and Sonny are having problems; don't make them worse."

Robin sighed and started to say something else when her phone rang. Grateful for the interruption, Elizabeth answered and smiled.

"Yeah, she's right here. Hold on."

Robin shook her head, refusing to take the phone, but Elizabeth insisted. Reluctantly, Robin gave in and couldn't help but smile when she heard his voice.

"Hi baby. No, not tonight, Elizabeth needs - "

Elizabeth glared and Robin sighed again.

"Never mind, she's being stubborn...yeah...okay, yeah, sounds good, I'll meet you there. Love you too."

"Go meet up with Dr. McHottie and don't give me another thought, alright?"

"C'mon Elizabeth, you know I can't just let this go."

"Please, Robin. The only thing keeping me from losing it is knowing that the people I love are happy."

"Even him?"

"I still love him and I always will. I just want him happy, even if that means not being with me."

Robin frowned again, but nodded. "Okay. I'll go hang out with Patrick, but just for you."

"Oh please, you can't fool me. It's for you too," Elizabeth said with a wink.

Robin giggled. "Okay, okay, for me too. You gonna be okay, sweetheart?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm just gonna head to the studio, maybe paint something."

"Alright. I'll talk to you later."

The two hugged and Robin left, Elizabeth leaving shortly after.

XOXO

He surveyed the damage: strewn canvases, dried paint sets, torn paintings. She was still in pain and he couldn't do a damn thing about it.

Elizabeth entered her studio and almost screamed at the shadow. Shadows always made her uneasy, reminding her of the Valentine's night when her world was torn apart. If it hadn't been for her family, Elizabeth didn't think she would've survived.

The brunette spun around and realized that she was brought back to that night. "Shh...sis, it's me."

She ran to him and pulled him close in a warm embrace. "John, you scared me."

Her twin gave a small smile and shook his head. "In my defense, I didn't know you would be here."

"What are you doing here? Daddy didn't expect you to come back to the country for at least another month."

Johnny Zacchara stiffened at the mention of their father. He blamed him for their mother's death and couldn't stand the sight of the man. Elizabeth loved both her twin brother and their father and still hoped that one day, they might work out their differences. She knew it was what their mother would want, but also knew better than to tell John that.

"Well that was the plan, but Robin called and - "

" - and told you I was miserable."

"You almost had me fooled, but when I heard what was really going on, I had to come back. You know my offer to kill him still stands."

"I don't want him dead; I just want everyone to stop treating me like I'm some fragile canvas."

"Doesn't mean I don't want him dead," Johnny growled.

"John..."

"I know, I know. I promised. Remind me again why I promised you I wouldn't kill that bastard?"

"Because you love me and you want me happy," she smirked.

"I still don't see how him being alive makes you happy..."

Elizabeth quickly changed the subject, wishing the people of this town would find something else to talk about. This town was too small, that was the problem. If she didn't hate the idea of leaving the people she cared about, she would've moved to Florence years ago.

"I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to clean up."

"You know I could care less. I was hoping to see a new painting or two, though."

"I'm not feeling very artistic lately, but I did promise Grams a new mural in the children's wing."

"Not without a fight first, I bet."

She smirked. "You know me too well. But Grams pointed out how much the kids would love it and well..."

"She pulled the kid card and you had to give in."

Elizabeth nodded. "Exactly."

"So..." Johnny started, suddenly feeling awkward.

"So how is the Jones girl?"

Johnny tried to backtrack. "She's my little brother's best friend, why would I ask about her?"

"Because I know you too well," she smirked. "And she's fine."

"You realize she's too young for me?"

"Like that's ever stopped you before."

Johnny sighed, remembering his disastrous relationship with Sage Alcazar. Even before Luis Alcazar threatened him into oblivion if he were to continue to date his daughter, Johnny had realized that Sage was a great girl who just wasn't for him.

"That's cold, Liz."

"I'm nobody's little angel, remember?" she grinned. A prank war when the twins were seven had resulted in Elizabeth's victory and Johnny swearing up and down to anyone who listened how vicious his twin really was. Consequently, she had teasingly called herself "nobody's little angel" and the term had stuck.

"Still," he glared. "Anyway," he continued, "she's Robin's cousin."

"Oh you know Robin loves you just as much as I do."

"And she probably wouldn't if I went after her cousin."

"You'll never know unless you try it."

He sighed. "Liz, can't we drop it?"

Knowing that he only called her Liz when he was frustrated, Elizabeth pouted.

"Fine, but only for now."

"Then we'll drop the subject of the bastard's death...for now," he added with a smirk.

She glared, crossing her arms. "That's not - "

"It's totally fair," he interjected before she could finish.

"If you willingly get arrested because of me, I swear I'll kill you myself."

"Who said anything about jail time?" Johnny inquired with a cocky grin. "Clean shot, no one has to know."

"I'll know," she emphasized.

He shook his head. "Sometimes you're too much like Mom for your own good."

Hardly insulted but wanting to tease him, Elizabeth shrugged. "And sometimes you're Daddy's other half."

If looks could kill, she would be dead, that much she knew.

"That bastard - "

"John..." she warned.

He took a deep breath and tried to control the anger that the mere mention of Anthony brought him. "Don't ever compare me to that bastard again, Liz."

"Only if you swear to stop plotting Jason's death."

Completely give up on the idea of murdering his sister's ex or being compared to Anthony?

"Then you might as well call me Anthony Zacchara."

XOXO

Someone needed to tell this woman to shut the hell up, he thought as the clock indicated it had been nothing but flower arrangements and wedding cakes for the last three hours. Jason Morgan couldn't stand it any longer.

He glanced at his fiancée, wondering when he had allowed his life to become this wrecked. Was it only last year when he and Elizabeth had planned their trip to the Mediterranean? He purchased a new yacht as an early birthday present for her and he could still hear the excitement in her voice when she saw it.

Jason shook his head. This wasn't supposed to happen - the what-ifs, the dwelling. He had never lingered in the past before, but then he had never been apart from Elizabeth before, either. Even while dating her sister, the two of them were friends.

The small brunette turned her head in his direction. "Jason?"

He blinked and tried to come back to the present. "Yeah?"

Sam McCall pointed at a five-tiered wedding cake, earmarking the page. "Well? Do you think this will work for the reception?"

Jason couldn't understand why anyone would want a cake with five layers. Elizabeth's brownies only had one. He sighed. He needed to stop thinking about her.

"If it's what you want," he shrugged.

Sam frowned. She knew that Jason wasn't into planning for the wedding, but it was more than that; sometimes, she wasn't even sure if he wanted to marry her.

He had started as an easy mark, distraught over some ex, but she had soon fallen for him. Sam knew without a doubt that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with this man, but she wanted him to feel the same.

As if on cue, Jason's phone rang and he hastily picked up.

"Morgan."

Nodding at the person on the other end, Jason looked at Sam. "I have to go. Can you call Sarah or Lisa?"

Sam sighed, nodding. She gave him a quick kiss and watched him leave, her heart breaking a little at his distance. When they had first gotten together, he hadn't been like this.

Calling Sarah and Lisa, she still couldn't believe she was friends with someone like Sarah Webber. Growing up, she had detested do-gooders and Sarah was exactly that, at least to the public. Sarah was best friends with Lisa Niles, and when Sam and Sarah became close, Lisa just sort of joined in.

"He's distant again," she whined.

"Honey, he can't believe he's marrying someone as amazing as you, that's all it is," Lisa said. Looking over at Patrick Drake, she knew she needed to find some way to get Saint Robin out of the picture. The Patrick she had known in their younger years would cheat without a second thought, but the Patrick he was now was deeply in love with Robin Scorpio-Zacchara, pathetically so.

"What if he's seeing someone else?"

"Who the hell are you and what have you done with Sam McCall?" Sarah asked, examining her nails and deciding to make an appointment with her manicurist first thing in the morning.

"I just can't stand the thought of Jason with anyone else," she admitted. Sam hated showing weakness, and her feelings for Jason seemed to do just that.

"Last year, I would've said the only person he would ever want is my annoying cousin, but we all know that's long over."

"What if it's not? What if I'm marrying a man who still has the hots for Elizabeth Zacchara?"

"Samantha McCall, listen to me. You are way sexier than Elizabeth has ever been and any man would be a fool to want her over you," Lisa assured. She had hated Elizabeth ever since the younger girl had thwarted her first attempt to break up Patrick and Robin.

"Yeah, you're right, I know you're right."

"Of course I'm right. Now when do you want to get together to go over wedding plans?"

XOXO

Giving her brother one last hug, Elizabeth escorted him to the door. Deciding to stop by Kelly's for one of Mike Corbin's famous chocolate chip cookies, she grabbed her purse and headed in that direction.

Stopping when she reached the docks, her breath caught. Of course he would be here. She knew she couldn't avoid him forever and she knew deep down that she didn't want to, but it didn't hurt any less seeing him.

Hearing someone behind him, Jason turned his head. "Elizabeth."

"Jason."

"How - how are you?"

"I'm great. How are you? I hear congratulations are in order."

"Yeah...I..."

She held up a hand, knowing what he was about to do. "You don't need to make excuses; you love her, you're marrying her, that's what people in love do. I hope she'll make you happy."

He hated this. It was never this awkward between them. All they needed was comfortable silence and they were content; now, they could barely be in the same space without the hurt invading.

Jason decided to stay on neutral ground. "How's, uh, how's Robin?"

Elizabeth smiled. "She's really good. She was gonna get together with Patrick tonight."

Jason nodded, glad that his ex-girlfriend and friend had found happiness. While he and Patrick didn't exactly get along, he knew that he made Robin happy and that was what mattered.

"Sonny was asking about you."

"Oh, I need to stop by and visit him. Have he and Brenda made up yet?"

Jason shook his head and Elizabeth sighed.

"Those two are too damn stubborn."

Jason didn't bother to point out that Sonny was better off without Brenda. He knew it would result in Elizabeth defending her friend and the last thing he wanted to do was fight with her.

"Is Carly still giving you hell about Sam?"

Jason nodded and Elizabeth smiled. "Well at least some things never change."

"Yeah," he softly agreed, staring at her.

"Yeah," she echoed, trying but failing not to stare back.

Rubbing his hand along the back of his neck, Jason looked off in the direction of the warehouses. "I, uh..."

She nodded. "Yeah, I was gonna go to Kelly's."

"Are you still working there?"

"No; I planned on it, but Mike said he had more than enough help with the Jones girls and Sage starting soon and what with my shifts at the hospital and my art..."

He smiled. "So you're painting again."

Painting wasn't the right word, she thought - wasting paper, breaking canvases; that was more accurate. "Yeah, Grams asked me to paint a new mural for the childrens' wing."

"Lions, tigers, and bears."

"Oh my," she giggled. "I was thinking more about wind and...and sails..."

He frowned. Their easy talk had turned into awkward silence once again. All he wanted to do was hold her, but he couldn't. He was with someone else and she...well, he had never deserved her. He always knew she could do better.

"Well...goodb - " she started.

"No," Jason firmly stated. "I'll see ya later."

She gave a small, teary smile but nodded. "I'll see ya later."


	2. Chapter 2

**First, I would like to take a minute to thank my lovely reviewers:**

Blackberry959: Thank you! Of course, while it might take a while to get there and lots of heartache, the end result will always be Liason for me.

belcheto: Thank you!

lrobinson01: You'll see...eventually. ;)

babeboo1968: You'll just have to keep reading!

Carla: Why did they break up? Will Jason marry Sam? You'll just have to keep reading. ;]

gabby1: The reasons will be explained, in time. Thank you, I love crazy AZ but I also love a loving AZ.

Guest: Keep reading!

bjq: Thank you.

DevilJolie: Thank you! I love stories that have her as a Zacchara, but I didn't want her to lose her Hardy roots, either.

Twisted Musalih: Did he let her go?

sj: No, thank you!

Guest #2: That's the plan. :D

xoxo

**Has anyone heard the latest spoilers on Ewen? I've only heard bits and pieces, but since the guy's creeped me out from the beginning, I have a feeling I'll be telling people a big, fat, I TOLD YOU SO. (Nathin Butler, on the other hand, is much cuter in person and very, very nice.)**

**Who else went to Becky's event on the 19th?**

**This chapter's shorter than the last, but I hope you enjoy nevertheless.**

XOXO

Elizabeth stared at the unfinished mural, and then looked at her color palette. It seemed that the more she painted, the gloomier the mural's colors. She sighed. This was hopeless.

Before she could pack up her supplies and leave the hospital, she felt someone hug her from behind. Quickly spinning around, she smiled and returned the hug with a warm one of her own.

"How are you holding up, sweetheart?"

"I'm fine, Bobbie."

Bobbie Spencer narrowed her eyes. "Don't do that with me. You are far from fine." Her eyes scanned the mural and her brows creased with worry.

"Okay, so I'm not fine, but I made my choice. He fought for us. Why shouldn't he be happy just because I'm not?"

Bobbie gave her a second hug. "I'm worried about you, honey."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest, but Bobbie held up a hand to stop her.

"Yes, I know you don't want me to be, but I am and that isn't going to change. But, since I know you, and I know how stubborn you are, have you heard from my darling nephew lately?"

Elizabeth nodded. "A couple of weeks ago. He said he loves the city and met a great girl, Summer something."

"How did you handle it?"

"A part of me will always love him, but I haven't wanted him that way since we were kids. He's happy, I'm happy."

Bobbie smiled. "I'm glad you two could still be friends. I know he didn't handle the breakup well."

"No, he didn't, but he accepted it. Took a few years, but he did. He's the best friend I've ever had and I know all of you wanted us to get married and have the white picket fence…"

"Oh honey, you should know by now that whether you're with Lucky or not, you're still part of our family."

Elizabeth smiled. "I do, Bobbie, thank you."

"I know Luke wasn't too happy when you and Jason first started dating, but he still thought of you as his daughter and that's why he was so worried. Laura wants to know if you can come for a visit soon."

"Tell her I'll be there tomorrow. It'll be good to catch up."

"She doesn't care much for that fiancée of his, you know. None of us do."

Elizabeth frowned. "She makes him happy, that's all that matters."

Bobbie shook her head. "Honey, you are too sweet for your own good. There's something not right about her."

"I'm not perfect, either."

"Well no, but – "

" – How's Lulu doing?"

It was Bobbie's turn to frown. "She hates boarding school and thinks Luke sent her there because she wasn't wanted."

"Doesn't she know about Laura's breakdown and how they almost had to institutionalize her?"

"Of course she does, but it doesn't matter to her. I think she's becoming worse than Carly was."

Elizabeth's eyes widened. "Oh no. Tell her I'll try to visit her as soon as I can."

"Are you sure you're not taking on too much?"

"I need the distraction."

Bobbie nodded. "Okay, just make sure you take it easy every now and then." Glancing over at the clock, she turned back to Elizabeth. "Break's over. I'll talk to you later, okay honey?" Giving Elizabeth one last hug, she returned to her rounds and Elizabeth returned to trying to think about anyone but him.

XOXO

"Not now, Carly."

"Yes now."

"Carly."

"Look, Jase, I understand you're suffering from some kind of mental breakdown that makes you think that Sam is too good for you, let alone deserves you, but even if you won't admit it, I know you're miserable."

"Carly – " he tried again.

"No. You might be marrying her for reasons I don't understand, but you and I both know that you're the one who deserves better."

"Carly, that's enough."

She ignored him and continued. "I know that Elizabeth and I didn't get along at first, but because you loved - no, love her - I tried to be civil for your sake –"

"Carly! That's enough!"

Carly stared at him, open-mouthed.

"Do I still love Elizabeth? Maybe I do. If I do, it's none of your business. Am I marrying Sam? Yes, I am. Do I deserve better? No. Does she deserve better? Yes. Now listen to me, Carly. I know you hate Sam for some reason, and that's okay, but this has got to stop."

Carly frowned. "I just don't like seeing you two miss each other like this."

"Two?" Jason looked at her, one brow raised. "What do you mean two?"

Carly's eyes widened and she shook her head. "Nothing, forget I said anything."

"Carly, what do you know?"

"I know that if you keep pushing this, I'll start insulting Sam again," she smirked. "Not that she doesn't deserve it," she added under her breath.

"Carly." Jason pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stop the forming migraine.

"Look, Jase, I know I said Elizabeth and I would never be friends and now she's one of my best friends, but that is not going to happen with me and Sam, okay? I don't trust her, especially with you."

"Can't you at least try to get along with her?"

"No, not even for you. This wedding isn't going to happen, you'll see."

Jason frowned, trying not to think about whatever scheme Carly had cooking this time.

XOXO

"Mr. C, some stranger here to see you."

"I really don't think you should let them in, Max…"

Max Giambetti led Elizabeth into Sonny and Brenda Corinthos' apartment. Smiling at her, he turned to look at Sonny. "I'm kidding, I knew it was Mrs. – Ms. Zacchara."

Elizabeth sighed. "Max, I've told you to call me Elizabeth."

Max shook his head. "Later, Ms. Zacchara."

Elizabeth knew it was hopeless to even try but that never stopped her. Maybe one day she could get the guards to call her by her first name.

She smiled at Sonny and handed him the tin tray of brownies. "I figured you might've run out of the other ones."

Sonny chuckled and hugged her. "We'll never run out of brownies with you around. You're staying for dinner, right?"

"Of course. I'm not one to pass up Sonny Corinthos' famous lasagna."

He smiled. "Good. Is Robin planning to come?"

"She's not sure. She said she'll try to make it, but I think she has plans with Mac and the girls. Will Brenda be here?"

Sonny shook his head, frowning. "No. We had another fight."

"What was it about this time?"

"It's not important."

"Sonny…"

He sighed. "You and Jason. She wants me to force Jason to not marry Sam so you two can get back together." It wasn't as if he hadn't thought about threatening Sam away from Jason, multiple times.

"She's just going to have to accept that we're over."

"She can't. I can't."

"But he's happy, Sonny…"

"You aren't." Sonny thought about telling her exactly how unhappy Jason really was, but knew he had promised Jason that he wouldn't, just like he had promised Elizabeth that he wouldn't let Jason know how unhappy she was. Privately, he thought locking the two in a room together would fix all of this in a matter of minutes.

"You didn't tell him?"

"No. I promised you I wouldn't."

"Good. Bren is probably just upset about the way Sam came onto you when she first came to town."

Sonny knew Brenda was upset about a lot more Sam-related things then that, but kept quiet.

"I'm sorry you two fought because of me," Elizabeth added, frowning.

"Don't worry about it. It just means we care about you."

She smiled. "I know. Thank you." Biting her lip, she wondered how to ask if Jason would be at dinner without making it seem like she was trying to avoid him.

"Jason won't be at dinner," Sonny told her, reading her mind. "Sam talked him into dinner with Sarah and AJ."

Elizabeth nodded. It was obvious that Sarah was only with AJ Quartermaine for his wallet, but she knew that telling him would make her just as bad as her cousin. She hoped that he would realize who Sarah really was before it was too late.

"So I guess it'll just be the two of us?"

Sonny nodded. "Okay with you?"

"Of course. Less people, more lasagna for me."

"Then I guess we better get started," he smiled.

XOXO

"How is it?"

"It's great," Robin smiled.

"Are you sure?" her cousin asked.

"Yeah, Georgie, I think this is the best pot roast I've ever had."

Georgie Jones smiled. She was currently enrolled in a cooking class at the local college and despite comments from her teacher, didn't think she knew how to make anything edible.

"Georgie, it's great. You know it's great; everything you do is great," Maxie Jones teased her sister.

Mac Scorpio turned to her. "You know, Maxie, it wouldn't hurt for you to take a class of your own."

"Awh, Dad…"

"He's right, Maxie," Felicia Scorpio interrupted. "If you spent half as much time cooking as you do sewing, you'd be a world-renowned chef."

Maxie scowled. "You said that about the dance classes."

"Well it's true," Felicia nodded.

"Sweetheart, you do this every day. You know Maxie will never learn to cook."

"Jeez, thanks Dad," Maxie glared.

Mac looked sheepish. "That's not what I meant…"

Robin laughed and all four of them turned to stare at her. "Sorry, it's just nice not to have a tense atmosphere for once."

Mac started to respond, but the youngest member of the family walked into the house. "Hi Dad, Mom! George, Max!"

Maxie scowled again. "It's Max-IE."

Robby Scorpio shrugged. "Whatever, Max. Hey George, did you save me any of that pot roast?"

Georgie nodded. "Of course. How was Lila's?"

"It was awesome! Michael got a PS2 and – " Robi noticed his father's raised brow – "No Dad, I promise I didn't play violent video games the whole time I was there."

Mac nodded. "Good. Now eat your dinner and then you should get started on that homework."

Robby, aptly named after both his cousin and his late uncle, frowned. "But Dillon said he found a cool skull that we could look at later."

"Dinner, then homework. The skull will have to wait."

Robby dropped his backpack off in his room and then returned to the kitchen. Scooping up a plateful of pot roast, he gave Felicia a kiss on the cheek and sat down to eat.

"Hey Mom, did you remember to sign my permission slip for the aquarium?"

Felicia nodded. "In your nightstand drawer."

"Great, thanks! Dad, you aren't chaperoning this year, right?"

"Robby – " Mac started.

"You can't come, Dad. It isn't cool for a freshman to have his dad hanging around."

Mac frowned. It was times like these that he would've liked to go back in time and warn his younger self that having a boy wouldn't be easier than having daughters.

"I can't come anyway, so don't worry."

"Good," Robby smirked.

"Young man…"

"Robin," Felicia interrupted before their disagreement escalated into a fight. "What do you mean it's nice not having tension?"

"Oh you know, Anthony's worried about Elizabeth, Johnny's worried about Elizabeth, I'm worried about Elizabeth…"

"Oh dear, is she still trying to pretend she's okay?"

Robin nodded.

"Bring her over to the station. I have some fine new cadets that she might like."

"Uncle Mac, I know you mean well, but we both know that won't help."

"He never deserved her, you know."

Robin frowned. "Yes, Uncle Mac, I'm well aware of your hatred of Jason."

"I don't hate him."

"Mhm…"

"She just deserves better, that's all."

"She needs a good date and she'll feel better," Felicia agreed. "How about that cousin of yours – Aidan, right?"

"I barely know him and I don't think Anthony would like that much."

"Brenda's brother?"

"Nah, Coop works all those long hours."

"The new doctor at GH?"

"No way, Ewen creeps me out."

Felicia pursed her lips in thought. "Well there must be someone…"

"Jason."

"But if she doesn't want him anymore –"

"She does want him, that's the problem."

"Ah. Then I guess all you can do is keep trying to change her mind."

Maxie interrupted. "Are you sure a guy who is marrying a girl who is best friends with someone who tried to hurt you is really the best person for Liz?"

"Jason isn't friends with Lisa."

"But he's marrying her friend."

"That's different."

"I don't see how."

"It just is."

"And is it different that that same woman is also friends with Liz's cousin who hates her?"

"Yes, it is. Jason doesn't like Sarah."

"But he's marrying her friend."

"You don't like Nadine."

"That's different."

"Oh, is it?"

"Yes. For starters, I'm not marrying Matt. Also, Nadine isn't his best friend."

"Don't forget that Maxie doesn't like most girls anyway."

"Georgie!"

"You know it's true, Maxie. You didn't like Elizabeth at first."

"Well no, but that was over some stupid crush I had on Lucky and you know that was years ago."

"Still, name one girl you don't hate."

"You, Robin, Liz. That's three."

"Name one girl you don't hate that isn't family."

"Brenda."

"Brenda's like family; doesn't count."

"Emily, Lila, Laura, Bobbie, Skye," Maxie listed.

"Okay, someone your age."

"Brook and Serena."

"They aren't your age."

"Close enough."

Robin smiled, leaning back in her seat. It was always interesting at her uncle's.

XOXO

After dinner, Sonny and Elizabeth conversed a little bit more before he offered to have someone drive her home. Elizabeth attempted to decline but as always, ended up with a ride from one of her favorite guards, Johnny O'Brien.

She didn't leave right away. Another guard, Francis Corelli, stopped them in the hallway to greet her and when Max got the okay from Sonny to take a short break, he joined them.

"Well how is my favorite charge?" Francis smiled.

"Francis, you know you shouldn't have favorites."

"No, I shouldn't, but I do. So how are you?"

"I'm fine."

Johnny O raised an eyebrow. "If you're fine, then I'm marrying the queen next Saturday," the blond Irishman noted.

"Am I that easy to read? Can't someone for once accept that I'm fine when I say I am and not tell me otherwise?" Elizabeth asked, frustrated.

"We're concerned, Lizbits, that's all."

"I know, Francis. Everyone's concerned. John wants to kill Jason, Robin wants to kill Jason. If people aren't planning to kill him, then they're asking me how I'm doing. I wish everyone would stop asking me all the time. He's not the one who walked away."

"You were hurt."

"He was hurt too, but he fought. I pushed and pushed and now that he's found happiness, everyone wants to take it away from him just because I'm still upset."

"It isn't as if the two of you were dating and broke up on a whim –" Max remarked.

"And this week would be your anniversary – " Johnny O added, cautiously.

"We care about both of you, Elizabeth," Francis nodded. "Don't ask us to pretend that we don't."

Elizabeth sighed. "There's no use trying to talk any of you out of anything, I know."

"Nope," Johnny O smirked.

Hearing the click of seven-inch heels, the guards turned to look behind them. Jason and Sam had apparently finished dinner with AJ and Sarah and were now headed back to the penthouse.

Elizabeth felt sure that her face was on fire. This was exactly what she had wanted to avoid.


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow! 16 reviews in one day! Thank you so much!**

XOXO

To my lovely reviewers:

lrobinson01 – I hope this chapter is satisfactory. :)

Twisted Musalih – xD

babeboo1968 – Thank you! I hope this is satisfactory.

BJQ – Thank you!

blackberry959 – Thank you. Maybe this chapter will explain some of it.

sashahailee –

_Ch. 1_: Thank you! I love AZ, as crazy as he is, and I'm glad I could make you like him in that chapter, too.

_Ch. 2_: I never trusted him and ironically, I wrote that Robin said he creeped her out before I even saw his scene with her or heard of it. How absolutely creepy was that? I think it will! I really think we'll get Liason; maybe not endgame, but a real chance, which is what I've wanted. There's some really good spoilers for September, at least. Haha! I'm glad I could get you to like Carly. I'm a huge fan of Tamara Braun's and Sarah Joy Brown's Carly. I always thought if Carly really loved Jason, and I think she does, she'd try to get along with Elizabeth for him; also, Tamara's Carly and Elizabeth had some great scenes that could've led to friendship, IMO. Anyway, thank you!

leeleelayla5 – You'll see!

belcheto – Thank you!

DevilJolie – Thank you!

Carla – I hope you like this chapter. ;]

gabby1 – Mhm…

Virgy15 – Thank you! Maybe this chapter will explain a little bit.

Kristina – Thank you.

bjq – Keep reading!

Guest – Don't worry, I'll get to that. I don't really know when, though; I'm letting the characters lead.

bigred – I hope this chapter is satisfactory.

XOXO

**You get an extra chapter today just for that; how do you like them apples? No, really, how do you like apples because…**

**Enjoy!**

XOXO

Even in jeans and a T-shirt with minimal makeup, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Jason swallowed hard. A part of him had hoped he wouldn't run into her after hearing she'd be coming to Sonny's for dinner, but a larger part was glad that he did.

He glanced at Sam – skin-tight leather pants, a small shirt that was barely there, heavy makeup, and those seven-inch heels. The problem was, seeing Sam in leather only prompted memories of Elizabeth in leather.

"Elizabeth –" he started.

She shook her head and looked at Sam, as if to remind him of his engagement.

"How was dinner?" she asked.

"It was nice," Sam smiled. "How was yours?"

"Great," Elizabeth nodded.

Jason frowned. He needed to talk with Elizabeth and he didn't care what Sam thought.

"Sam –" he began.

"Johnny was just about to take me home," Elizabeth interrupted. "Have a nice night."

Jason wouldn't let her get away that easily. Elizabeth and the guards pivoted to walk down the hall, Max giving him a sympathetic look. He turned to Sam.

"I have to tell Johnny something."

He left without another word, nor a kiss goodbye. Jason didn't like lying to Sam, but it was a necessary evil.

"Elizabeth."

She kept walking as if she didn't hear him. He let her think he had fallen behind, although he thought that by now she should've known better, and then met her on the ground floor before she could get into her car.

"Elizabeth, we need to talk."

She turned to look at him and Jason's breath caught. It was obvious she had been crying and even after all of these years of knowing her, he still hated to see her upset.

"No, we don't. You're getting married to her, Jason. I doubt Sam likes you talking to your ex-wife."

"Forget Sam!" Jason exclaimed, frustrated.

"Forget Sam?" Elizabeth asked, incredulous. "Don't you think I want to? Don't you think I hate the thought of you with her, knowing that if I hadn't pushed you away, we'd still be together?"

"Elizabeth…"

"And why should I be upset? You refused to sign the divorce papers; I'm the one who threatened to leave town if you didn't. You fought for us. You're still fighting for us, but there isn't an us, Jason. You're marrying Sam. You're _marrying _her."

He frowned. "You're allowed to be upset."

She shook her head. "Jason, please, just be happy because that's all I really want."

His frown deepened as he watched her get into the car with the guards; his heart sank as he watched them drive off.

He hated that Elizabeth was in pain and hated even more that he was the cause. She would deny the conversation ever happened, he knew, but he wasn't going to forget that look of utter despair on her beautiful face.

Returning to the penthouse, Jason looked at his door and then looked at Sonny's, back and forth between the two while he decided if he should return to Sam or vent to Sonny. Jason didn't normally vent, but the older man was always there for him when he needed to.

He took a deep breath and opened the door.

XOXO

"I completely lost it, Em."

"You've been hiding so much, Elizabeth. You knew this would come out sooner or later."

"He didn't deserve for me to yell at him like that."

"You didn't yell."

"Emily…"

"Okay, so you could've been a little nicer, but you can't keep on pretending everything's okay and not snap eventually."

"It hurts looking at him." Elizabeth held back a sob and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Em, I shouldn't lay all of this on you."

"Look, Elizabeth, Jason is my big brother and I love him, but you are my best friend, okay? You know you can tell me anything."

"Speaking of anything, tell me about your night with Zander," Elizabeth mentioned, wanting to forget the confrontation with Jason. She couldn't believe she had lost it like that when she had been so calm at the docks. Seeing him with Sam, seeing how happy Sam was…it was like a cold slap in the face of reality.

"He surprised me with a picnic," Emily Bowen Quartermaine said, her voice radiating.

"A picnic? Zander?"

"I know, I was shocked too, but he said I deserved a little romance once in a while. And then," Emily giggled, "we played laser tag."

"Laser tag? Really?"

"Mhm, and it was so fun! You and I need to do it some time. It'll be good to keep your mind off things."

Elizabeth smiled. "I'll think about it."

"Oh, hold on," Emily left and returned a second later. "Mom's on the other line, do you mind if I…?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, go ahead. Call me later?"

"Absolutely. Love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

Elizabeth hung up the phone and glanced at her ruined studio. Sighing, she started cleaning and was halfway done when she heard a knock on her door.

"Come in."

Robin entered with Patrick, Johnny next to them with their youngest brother. The autistic boy rarely got out and Elizabeth was surprised to see him there.

"Robin, John, Spinelli, Patrick, what are you guys doing here?"

Damian Spinelli Zacchara, or Spinelli as everyone called him, simply smiled at his big sister before sitting on her couch and opening his laptop. Cyberspace was calling.

"Well I wanted to see if you were up for going to Jake's and Patrick insisted on coming along," Robin explained while Patrick Drake and Elizabeth embraced warmly. "And well, you know Johnny doesn't like being away from you for too long when he's in town."

Elizabeth frowned. Johnny had never stopped blaming himself for her rape, despite her insistence that it wasn't his fault.

"I'm surprised you didn't bring Daddy along too," she laughed.

"I was going to, but Johnny wouldn't speak to me for the rest of the night if I did and then I'd have to bring Uncle Mac too and that would mean Aunt Felicia, Robby, Georgie and Maxie…besides, your studio's way too small for that many people." It was Robin's turn to frown. She knew Elizabeth was happy in the studio, but she wished that she would find a bigger, safer place.

"Mmm, I don't know, baby, it wasn't too small when we hooked up while watching the studio for Elizabeth…"

Elizabeth pretended to gag. "Patrick! I really didn't need to hear that."

Robin glared at her boyfriend and Patrick gave her a cocky grin in return.

"And next time I ask you to watch my studio while I'm visiting Nonna and Nonno, please don't take that as an invitation to christen it like you did when I studied abroad."

Patrick was sheepish. "Got it, Elizabeth."

Robin smirked. On the days she couldn't keep Patrick in line, her sister always could.

"I don't understand what Spinelli is doing here?" Elizabeth questioned.

Robin shrugged. "He wanted to come."

Johnny nodded. "He wants to talk you into joining one of those Internet dating service things."

Elizabeth shook her head and looked at her little brother. "Thanks Spin, but I think I'll pass."

"The Fair Sister could easily acquire a match in the wondrous world of cyberspace," Spinelli remarked without once looking up.

"No thanks. Why don't you look for one for John?"

Johnny glared at her and she smirked.

"Or you could always follow your heart."

Johnny shook his head and went to sit down next to his brother.

"You said Jake's?" Elizabeth looked at Robin. "Hell yeah, I'm up for it."

"Good. I figured we could use a girl's night."

"Girls, so that means Patrick's coming too?"

Patrick glared. "Ha ha, very funny, Elizabeth."

"You know you love me," she brushed off.

"Nope, Patrick's going to try to patch things up with Noah, aren't you baby?"

Patrick's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, yeah."

"Good. Why don't you invite him over here and then you can hang out with Johnny and Spinelli?"

"I'll hang out with Johnny and Spinelli, but I'm not inviting Noah," he said firmly.

"Just think about it," Robin said, kissing him softly. "Come on, Elizabeth, let's go join the girls."

XOXO

Sonny looked at his best friend pacing and interrupted him before he could say anything else or wear a hole in his carpet. "Jason, let me ask you this, again, and this time, give me a real answer straight. Why are you marrying Sam?"

Jason stopped, startled. "Because I love her."

"You love her? You sure?"

Jason blinked. "Yeah, of course."

"But you love Elizabeth?"

He frowned. "More than anything."

"So you love Elizabeth more than anything but you love Sam too?"

"Well..yeah."

"Jason, seriously, why are you marrying Sam?"

He sighed. "Because she proposed."

"You could've said no."

"She'd just lost her baby; how was I supposed to say no?"

"It wasn't your kid."

"I know, she was Lucky's, but I'd promised her I would take care of her and love the baby like she was my own. I did love that baby, Sonny."

"I know you did, but why did you promise?"

Jason placed his hands on his hips. "Because I'd just divorced Elizabeth."

"Exactly," Sonny nodded. "You needed the distraction."

"Well why the hell didn't you tell me before?" Jason shouted, exasperated.

Sonny held up his hands in surrender. "I tried to, man, but you're more stubborn than me sometimes."

"I do love Sam," Jason protested.

"But not the way you love Elizabeth."

"No," he shook his head. "I'll never love anyone the way I love Elizabeth."

"Do you think that's fair to Sam?"

"Of course not. She deserves better; she deserves someone who can put her first and love her as much as she loves him."

"So don't marry her."

"I have to. I promised. I don't break promises."

"You did once."

"And that's why I never will again."

"Jason…"

There was a noise at the door and Jason was immediately on his guard.

"I have to go. Thanks for listening."

"Any time, man," Sonny told him, concerned.

Jason left the penthouse and opened the door to his. He looked over to the couch he and Sam had been sharing nightly, and shook his head. No, he couldn't make love to her tonight. Instead, Jason walked upstairs and entered the room he hadn't visited in almost a year – their bedroom.

XOXO

"Tequila!" Elizabeth exclaimed, giggling.

"Tequila!" the girls chorused.

Jake of Jake's Bar thought they should be cut off soon, but shrugged. Each of them could use a little fun tonight.

"To not needing a man!" Kelly Lee raised her glass.

"Here, here!" Elizabeth said, clinking her glass against Kelly's.

"To hot monkey love," Robin smirked.

"To hot monkey love!" Emily shouted, grinning at Robin.

"You guys are so lucky," Nadine Crowell sighed.

"Aw, hon, you'll find a man," Lainey Winters said, rubbing her friend's shoulders.

"I thought I had," the blonde frowned. She had dated Nikolas Cassadine on and off for a few years, but ultimately, they both wanted different things.

"You'll find another one," Elizabeth assured. Nikolas was one of her oldest friends and she loved him dearly, but she had always thought that he and Nadine were an odd match to begin with.

"Hopefully before they do," Nadine frowned. Elizabeth looked in the direction she pointed at and laughed.

"I doubt they're looking right now, to be honest."

Georgie and Maxie were conversing with Brook Lynn Ashton and Serena Baldwin. Sage was attempting to talk them into a game of pool while Lucas Jones tried to persuade Jake to give them drinks.

"I don't know, Liz, I saw Serena checking out your brother the other day," Brenda Corinthos noted, smirking.

"Serena's interested in John?"

"No," Brenda shook her head. "Your little brother."

Elizabeth's jaw dropped. "She was checking out Spinelli?"

"Mhm," she nodded. "Seemed pretty giggly around him, too."

"Serena and Spin," Elizabeth said, still in shock. "Wow."

Carly laughed from Elizabeth's other side. She always sat as far away from Robin and Brenda as possible.

"He's cute," she said.

"You only think he's cute because he fawns over you," Elizabeth teased.

"Well duh, Muffin, why wouldn't I like a guy who calls me a Valka – Valky –"

Elizabeth laughed. "Valkyrie."

"Yeah, that."

Sometimes, Elizabeth still couldn't believe she was friends with Carly Alcazar and she knew Carly couldn't, either. Carly's best friend, Courtney Matthews, had died from a virus a few years back and although Elizabeth and Courtney had ended their friendship the second Courtney set her sights on Jason, Elizabeth had comforted Carly. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose Emily and didn't want to. Having already agreed to be civil for Jason's sake, Elizabeth and Carly developed an impossible, though easy, camaraderie and now thought of each other as best friends.

"When did Luke say Lulu was coming home, Em?"

"Next week," Emily answered with a grimace.

"I hope she won't start anything with Georgie."

"I'll be surprised if she doesn't," Robin shook her head.

Elizabeth took another shot, licking the salt, slamming the tequila, and sucking on the lime. "She better not try to use Spinelli again."

Ever since she had first met the Spencer family, the artist had considered Lulu another sister, but she didn't stand for her fighting with Georgie or using her brother.

"He didn't seem to mind last time," Kelly shrugged.

"Of course he didn't. Spin is thrilled every time a woman even looks in his direction," Elizabeth scowled.

"That boy needs to get his head out of the clouds," Epiphany Johnson noted.

"Any woman?" Robin raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, with some exceptions."

"Yeah, like Sam, Lisa, and Sarah."

"Ew! Robin, that's his cousin!"

"I'm just saying," the doctor said, taking a shot.

"I thought we weren't going to talk about Sam?" Nadine asked, confused.

"Okay. No more talking about Sam," Robin agreed.

Elizabeth looked over to the pool table and saw Sage was still looking for a partner. She nodded to the girls. "I'll be back," she said in her best _Terminator _impression. Of course, that led to the intoxicated women breaking into peals of laughter.

"Hey Sage, mind if I play?"

The younger girl looked relieved. "No, Liz. Of course not."

Elizabeth smiled. "Good." She took a pool cue and chalked it up, staring at the table. If she played it just right, she could win this in a matter of minutes. She frowned. Jason taught her that.

No thinking about him. Sage and Elizabeth started their game and when Elizabeth knocked the 8-ball into the pocket, signaling the end, Sage laughed.

"I call a rematch."

"I'll take a rain check," Elizabeth grinned and returned to the girls of drinking age. She noticed Georgie had finally decided to join Sage in a game and that Lucas and Brook Lynn were now teamed up against them while Maxie and Serena took the role of cheerleaders. Lucas, it seemed, had been able to score drinks from Jake, after all – rootbeers.

Taking her seat again, she listened as Epiphany told about an ornery woman she had dealt with earlier in the day.

"So the woman tosses her pills on the ground. I told her if she didn't take them, I'd send in Dr. Jones and she seemed to think that was her cue to cake her face," Epiphany chortled.

Everyone laughed, including Carly.

"I hope Mama didn't hear that."

"She did," Epiphany nodded. "She was standing right outside the curtain and went into the room and told that woman to keep her paws off her man. It wasn't very professional, but she sure got her message across!"

Bobbie and Tony Jones were divorced for a second time, but had recently started dating again. The town was sure they would marry again soon; Lucas was already planning his best man speech.

"She won't try to take Tony now," Elizabeth giggled.

"Is that the same woman who tried to flirt with Dad?" Emily asked.

Epiphany nodded. "Mhm. Woman doesn't know when to stop."

"Maybe now that she's been told off by both Nurse Spencer and Dr. Quartermaine, she'll back off," Nadine said. She was intimidated by Monica Quartermaine and couldn't understand why not everyone was.

"Let's hope she doesn't go after Uncle Mac next," Robin shuddered.

Elizabeth smiled. "Yeah, I don't think Felicia would care too much for that."

"Did you tell her about that woman in the grocery store?" Georgie asked, walking up to them.

"What woman in the grocery store?" Elizabeth looked at Robin.

"Some woman was flirting with Dad in the produce aisle. Gross," Maxie said.

"He wasn't doing a good job of getting her to back off, but Mom sure did," Georgie laughed.

"Oh yeah, you don't mess with the ex-wife of a superspy or the wife of a police commissioner."

"Needless to say, she won't be talking to Dad any time soon."

Elizabeth laughed. Robin smiled and looked at her. She hadn't seen her sister this happy in a long time.

XOXO

He needed more beer. Jason grabbed at the last beer in the fridge, popping it open. Throwing it back, he stumbled and looked around the penthouse. Sam hadn't come back; he didn't remember her leaving.

Tossing over the coffee table, he kicked at the couch and threw a lamp. Hearing it crash, a satisfied Jason looked around the room. Everything was destroyed, save for the pool table. The pool table and their bedroom were the only things he refused to let Sam touch in the penthouse when she decided to redecorate.

Jason looked under the pool table, peeling off the picture he kept there. Dizzily, he sank to the bottom step and glanced at it.

He swallowed hard. Elizabeth glowed, grinning at him. He grinned back at her, their gazes locked. Jason looked up. He hadn't been able to do anything but think about peeling that wedding dress off her while he waited for the photographer to finish.

Elizabeth destroyed the glass frame that held the picture in one of their many fights, but he held onto it. When he was really frustrated, he looked at it as a reminder of happier days.

"Elizabeth," Jason slurred, shaking his head. "Where did we go wrong?"

XOXO

**Some notices from chapter 2:**

I always proofread at least twice before publishing, but I still managed to miss these:

Continuity Error – Originally, I had named Robby "Robi." However, the name didn't seem right so I switched to Robby (which still doesn't seem right, but what can you do.) Mac, on the other hand, must think it fits fine because when his brow raised about Robby and the PS2, it was written as Robi.

Other Errors –

Sonny's and Brenda's apartment is a penthouse.

"upset about a lot more Sam-related things then that" should be than.

**Thank you for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

"I told you! Jason still has feelings for Elizabeth!"

"Sam, honey, calm down. What happened?"

Sam looked at her friends, scowling through a mouthful of Cheetos. "I heard him telling Sonny he still loves her."

"That doesn't mean he doesn't love you…"

"Oh, he loves me alright. He loves me, but not the way he loves her. He only agreed to marry me because I'd just lost my daughter. He agreed to take care of me and the baby because he'd just divorced Elizabeth."

"Sam! How can you put yourself down that way?"

"Sonny told Jason he needed the distraction," she glowered.

"Sonny doesn't know what he's talking about," Sarah noted. In her younger years, she had fancied herself in love with Sonny Corinthos, mob kingpin though he was, but that was before the mobster became such good friends with her pathetic cousin.

"Really? Then why did Jason stand there and tell him that the only reason he's marrying me is because he promised and he wasn't going to break another promise?"

Lisa frowned. "Maybe he lied to get Sonny off his back?"

Sam sank into the couch cushions, pulling her feet up to her chest. "You didn't see his face."

"There's an obvious solution, then," Sarah said with a wicked grin.

Lisa quickly caught on. "Oh yes, I like the way you think."

Sam looked puzzled. "What solution?"

"Easy. We get rid of Lizzie. Without her around, Jason can focus on you."

Sam stared at Sarah as if she were a pig with three heads. "How dumb can you be? Getting rid of Elizabeth would only make Jason focus on her more. You would never make it as a con-artist."

"I don't want to be a con-artist anyway," Sarah glared. She didn't appreciate Sam questioning her IQ when Sarah had her Ph.D. and the brunette didn't even have her high school diploma.

"We could stick her in a well," Lisa suggested.

"Because that worked so well last time," Sam added, sarcastically.

"It would've worked if that brat hadn't found her sister," Lisa glowered.

"We could put condoms in her purse," Sarah said.

"What good would that do?"

"It would be sweet karma," Sarah answered, remembering when her cousin had done the same to her and successfully ruined her relationship with the wealthy prince.

"But it wouldn't do anything," Sam tried to make her see reason. "Face it, no matter what we do, Jason's going to pine over Elizabeth. What the hell do all these guys see in her, anyway?"

"Beats me. I've been trying to figure that out since an orderly smiled at her in her incubator."

"It's probably all that money," Lisa shrugged.

"Jason has plenty of money," Sam countered.

"Then they feel sorry for her," the older blonde noted.

"Yeah, that's it," Sam agreed.

"So what are you going to do?" Sarah asked.

"I'm not gonna let Jason know that I overheard him. I'm gonna marry him like we planned and then maybe – I just might…make his life a living hell," Sam smirked.

XOXO

Johnny walked into Kelly's and grabbed their usual table. Robin and Elizabeth were to join him in half an hour, which was fine with him. It gave him more time alone to sight-see.

Moving his chair slightly to get a good glimpse of the waitress, Johnny smiled. Her hair could be held up in a messy bun, her apron could be stained with all types of food particles, and exhaustion could mar her features, but she was still the most exquisite woman in the universe.

She came up to him and flashed a bright smile. "Johnny, hi! Your usual?"

"Nah. Go ahead and get me the chili," Johnny answered. "You know Robin's and Elizabeth's orders."

Georgie nodded. "Yes, of course, I'll get right on it. Mike has an extra orange cranberry muffin just for her."

Johnny reached out and lightly touched her arm. Georgie looked at him, confusion written on her face.

He quickly withdrew his hand. "Uh, yeah, get us some ice waters too."

Georgie smiled. "Got it."

She left to put in the orders and Johnny sighed. He could always strike up an easy conversation with her, but it never went further than that. Johnny knew it was better this way; she was too young for him and he didn't like the idea of being murdered by the police commissioner. Still, he couldn't get her out of his head and he hadn't been able to since the summer she and Dillon Quartermaine ended their relationship.

He had found an upset Georgie on the docks and sat down to talk with her. Up until that point, Georgie Jones was a friend, someone he had known her whole life and who he had always thought of as his little sister. But seeing her so heartbroken made something change and now the thoughts he had about her were far from brotherly.

Johnny was snapped back to the present when Robin and Elizabeth entered with several shopping bags.

He raised an eyebrow. "What's all this?" It was rare for his twin to go shopping without being dragged.

"New art supplies," Elizabeth smiled. "Girl's night gave me some ideas for a painting and working on it led to more ideas for the mural."

"Tequila?"

"No, silly," she laughed.

"Good," Johnny responded. "I doubt Grams would like that." He winked.

Elizabeth laughed louder. "No, I don't think she would."

Johnny smiled. Girl's night had obviously been good for his sister, in more ways than one. Not only was his twin jubilant for the first time in what felt like an eternity, but she was even making plans for new paintings.

"I hope you'll sell them," he told her.

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, John, you know I don't need the money."

"Well no, but your art is better than most of the paintings sold out there."

"You're biased."

Robin returned from the jukebox and sat down. "She's planning a series of drawings for the kids in the children's wing after she finishes the mural."

Elizabeth looked at her. "Robin thinks I should sell in Paris." Her sister had always been rather fond of the city.

Johnny nodded. "Your work could definitely sell in Paris."

"I don't sell," she said, firmly. Her voice was the tone Maria used to indicate a subject was dropped, and Johnny and Robin didn't say anything more about Elizabeth selling her art. However, it didn't stop them from secretly scheming.

"Enough about my art," Elizabeth continued. "Robin, you said you have a surprise for us?"

The older brunette slowly brought up her hand and Elizabeth gasped.

"He didn't!" she exclaimed, taking Robin's hand.

"He did," Robin smiled. "I was as shocked as you."

Johnny looked befuddled. "I thought Patrick was afraid of commitment?"

"Well he was," Robin confirmed. "He said almost losing me woke him up to how much he couldn't take it if something did happen and that made him realize he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me," she continued with a smile.

Elizabeth squealed. "I knew it!"

Robin looked at her. "You knew it?"

"Well no," Elizabeth explained. "I didn't know he was going to propose, but the way he talked while we…didn't know if you were going to wake up," she swallowed, "it sounded like he was ready to commit himself to you."

Robin smiled. "You'll be my maid-of-honor, right?"

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss it for the world. But what about Bren?"

"Oh, I already talked to her and Sonny. She and Maxie are going to be my wedding planners – I haven't asked Maxie yet, but we both know she's wanted to plan my wedding since Uncle Mac's and Aunt Felicia's – so Brenda was content being a bridesmaid. I'm still trying to think of a role for Sonny."

"Sounds like you have everything planned already," Johnny smirked.

"You know me, Johnny. Robin Scorpio-Zacchara, soon-to-be Drake, type-A personality and crazy control freak."

"Yes you are, but we still love you," Elizabeth said, giving her a hug.

"Of course you do," Robin said, imitating Patrick's ego. "Who else would go with Johnny to the gun range and listen to your long rambles?"

Elizabeth laughed. "Hey! I can shoot too."

Johnny nodded. "Yeah, but your aim still needs a lot of work."

Elizabeth stuck out her tongue at him and Johnny feigned hurt before rolling his eyes.

"Oh, real mature, sis."

The three broke out laughing and then Robin returned to her wedding plans.

"Georgie will be a bridesmaid, of course; I need to make sure to ask her…Uncle Mac will walk me down the aisle…Robby can be ring bearer, although he is a little old…"

Elizabeth swallowed hard and Robin immediately looked at her, apologetic.

"Oh, Elizabeth, I'm so sorry…"

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, it's okay. What else did you have in mind?"

Robin scrutinized her, making sure she was okay, and then nodded. "I'll see if Lila would be willing to step in for mother of the bride…maybe Jax can be an escort…" she paused.

"Robin?"

Robin hesitated. "Well I know I'm mad at Jason right now, but he's the one who taught me to love again after I lost Stone and I just think that…I mean, if you don't want me to…"

Elizabeth nodded. "No, of course. Jason should be there."

"He probably won't even want to go…"

"He'll go," Elizabeth interjected.

"Okay, then I'll invite him, but Sam is not allowed."

"Robin, don't leave her out because of me…"

"No," Robin was firm. "She's not invited."

Johnny glowered at the mention of Jason Morgan and looked disgusted when Sam McCall was brought into the conversation.

"Sean and Tiffany, have you told them yet?" Elizabeth questioned.

Robin nodded. "I told Tiffany, but Uncle Sean is on a case. Uncle Mac's going to see if he can find Frisco, but it's doubtful."

"Alexandra and Aidan?"

"No, they don't know. It would be nice to get to know Aidan better."

"Nikolas, Epiphany, Kelly, Lainey, Emily, Bobbie and Tony, Lucas, Monica and Alan, Lois and Ned, Brook Lynn, AJ, Yang, Aunt Terri and Mikey…oh and Grams and Amy…Katherine?"

"Nikolas is out of town for a few weeks, so I'll let him know when he gets back. Epiphany helped Patrick plan the proposal, so she knows. Patrick and I are telling Kelly and Lainey tonight; Bobbie and Tony probably heard it from Epiphany and they'll tell Lucas. I'm going to talk to the Quartermaines about it tomorrow and I'll have to make sure to call Yang this week." Robin took a deep breath before continuing after looking up from her phone. "Mikey texted me and said he's sorry he can't make it but he'll let Terri know; I'm going over to Grams' right after we finish and Amy knew almost as soon as Epiphany did, you know her. I'll try to get a hold of Katherine, but we don't do a very good job of keeping in touch."

Elizabeth nodded. "Good. Bobbie will probably spill to Luke and Laura, so that leaves…"

"Lulu," Robin finished.

"Are you going to invite her?"

"I don't know," she frowned. "It depends on if she won't fight with Georgie."

"Do you want to call Lucky or do you want me to?"

"I'll call him," Robin nodded.

"Okay, Nadine, Jagger, Mike, Steven…"

"Nadine will find out when Lainey and Kelly do, I'll call Jagger this weekend, Mike just found out," she smiled at the older man, who smiled back sheepishly after realizing he had been caught eavesdropping, "and do you think you could call Steve?"

Elizabeth smiled. "Sure, no problem. Do you want Daddy there?"

Johnny frowned and Robin laughed. "Yeah; we'll have to keep him and Johnny far apart."

He gave her a grateful look and snuck a peek at Georgie.

Robin fell silent and Elizabeth placed a hand on her arm. "Are you thinking of your parents?"

She tried not to cry. "Yeah…my parents, your mom…your…Stone...Gramps…Buzz, Duke, the Ancient One, BJ, Tania…Katherine Bell…"

Elizabeth pulled her older sister into a one-armed hug. "They're always with you."

Robin nodded. "I know. I also know I'm lucky to have so many people who care about me."

Elizabeth grinned. "Yes you are."

Johnny shook his head. "I never realized how many people love you, Robin, jeez."

She smirked. "What can I say, I'm very lovable."

"I'm guessing Patrick's side will have Matt, Coleman, Leo, and…Noah?" Elizabeth asked.

"I'm trying to talk him into inviting Noah, and you know I never give up."

"No, you don't," Elizabeth laughed.

"Oh, Ian Devlin and Pete might come too."

"Ian, I don't know him, do I?"

"No, he was an old college friend of Patrick's."

"Let's hope he's nothing like Lisa…oh, sorry."

Robin brushed it off. "It's fine. Patrick said he's a good guy, so we'll see."

"It's been a while since Pete was in town."

Johnny glared, but the two women didn't notice. The last time Pete Marquez was in town, he had taken every possible opportunity to flirt with Georgie, despite the obvious age difference.

"You do know planning a wedding takes time, right?" he asked.

"Why little brother, I think you've been spending too much time with Maxie," Robin said, mussing up his hair.

Johnny scowled. "Don't touch the hair."

Robin rolled her eyes. "You and Patrick are so sensitive."

"I am not."

Robin gave him a "whatever" expression and answered his earlier question. "Well Patrick and I want a Christmas wedding."

"Christmas?" Elizabeth exclaimed. "That's only four months away!"

"I know, but if anyone can pull it off, it's Maxie, Brenda, and you," Robin said, confidently.

"Me? You want me to help plan your wedding too?"

"Definitely. You're in charge of the color scheme."

Elizabeth looked unsure. "I didn't even have a real wedding…" she started.

"Just because you and Jason eloped doesn't mean you can't be an awesome wedding planner," Robin interrupted.

Elizabeth was still uncertain, but nodded. "Okay, for you."

Robin smiled. "Thank you."

XOXO

He drove down the cliff roads, hard and fast. The last time he was here, she had been behind him, her breath tickling his neck, her delighted screams echoing in his ears - the same reaction she had when he first took her for a ride. He needed to feel her presence and this was the best place to do it.

Jason stopped the bike at Vista Point and got off, staring up at the stars. She always said the stars were closer up here, as if you could touch them, but he had never noticed until she pointed it out. She was right, though. They were closer.

The broody man put down the kickstand and leaned against his bike, crossing his arms. His talk with Sonny had made him think, a lot. Sonny was right; it wasn't fair to Sam to let her think he loved her the way she loved him. But, he had made a promise, and he wouldn't break another one. He refused to.

What if Elizabeth found someone else and moved on? He couldn't think about that; it would drive him insane. He loathed the thought of her with anyone else and doubted he would be as accepting as she was of him and Sam.

Maybe that was it. Maybe she didn't love him anymore. He didn't want to believe it, but he knew it was a possibility.

Jason shook his head. Being here didn't help. He climbed back on the bike and drove even faster, stopping only when he passed it. Making a U-turn, he shut off the engine and walked into the cemetery.

He paused. She was here, he could feel her. No matter what happened, he always knew when she was near.

Jogging to the gravestone, he stopped. Sure enough, there she was, and yes, she had been crying.

Hesitating for only a minute, Jason placed his hand on her shoulder. She covered his hand with hers before looking up and realizing who it was.

"Jason," Elizabeth said, dropping her hand from his.

"Elizabeth." He gazed into her eyes and gently wiped the tears from her face.

"Jason..."

He shook his head. "I guess we had the same idea," he said before she could tell him that it wasn't a good idea for them to be this close to each other.

She nodded. "I had to come. It…today would be…it's his fifth birthday."

Jason gave a sad smile. "I know."

Elizabeth placed the stuffed pumpkin among the various flower arrangements and Jason chuckled slightly.

"You never did stop calling him Pumpkin."

"No," Elizabeth smiled. "I know I promised you I would before he was old enough to remember."

"I like it," Jason confessed. "Jake did too."

Elizabeth shakily stood and Jason moved to catch her. She shook her head.

"I'm okay."

He frowned, looking deep into her bright blue eyes. "I miss you."

"Jason –" she started.

"Elizabeth," he breathed.

"Jason…" she tried again.

Their gazes locked, both Jason and Elizabeth subconsciously moved closer. His arm wrapped tightly around her waist as if it had never left. Her calloused hand, shaped from years of running a paintbrush over a canvas, stroked his coarse cheek, their lips only inches apart.


	5. Chapter 5

**Such lovely reviews! **

**Thank you and I believe some of your questions may have been answered in this chapter, **babeboo1968.

**I hope this satisfies you, **leeleelayla5. **Remember, this will end a Liason story; when it does remains to be seen.**

**My apologies, **vlalita. **I wasn't exactly fond of running all those names together and questioned whether I should, but since Elizabeth rambles, I left it that way. I didn't get confused because I recently watched many old Robin clips so the people long gone are now stuck with me, but I apologize for confusing you. I love the nickname you gave the three women; I attempted to write Sam differently than I normally do (meaning, no outright betrayal of Jason and sluttiness and all that,) but I suppose my abhorrence of her took over. Some of your questions may be answered in this chapter.**

**Thank you, **Virgy15**! I'm so glad you're enjoying reading this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it. My favorite friendship of all fictitious works is Robin and Elizabeth and I love exploring what the show could've given them if dear old Fronsie didn't loathe Elizabeth's character so much. I hope this was soon enough for you.**

**Thank you, **SouthernHemmy**, and I hope this is soon enough for you.**

**Unfortunately, **gabby1. **Your review from chapter three is correct, though; they are too stubborn, both of them.**

**Are you ready to see if you got your kiss, **lrobinson01?

**I agree, **Twisted Musilah.

**Thank you**, Kristina!

**I'm attempting to write Sam differently than I normally do, **Blackberry959**, but it probably isn't working. In any case, wasn't her hurt the reason for all of those "weak moments?" *insert rolling eyes here* Right now, she's very hurt. Thank you, I love Spinelli but could do with a lot less scenes of him and Sam so I had to include him. Bradford and Becky look like they could be siblings, I think. I'm glad you like it; I love Johnny and Georgie and wish they could've been given a chance. Your question might be answered in this chapter, and thank you!**

**Let's see if I ruined the moment for them, hmm, **Carla? **If it did have anything to do with the business, keep in mind that both Jason and Elizabeth are part of that business – Jason by choice and Elizabeth by blood.**

**Lots more drama coming, **chawkchic, **but would it be our lovely Liason without a little bit of angst?**

**Unfortunately, **sashahailee**, Sam is here to stay. As for the rest…well, we'll see. ;]**

**Thank you very much, **sj!

and **thank you **to everyone who has followed or favorited this story. I'm glad y'all are enjoying reading it as much as I am enjoying writing it.

XOXO

**Well, Jerry Jacks is back and our Elizabeth better run as far from Ewen as she can. I absolutely loved Jason subtlety letting Ewen know that if he hurts Elizabeth, he won't like the consequences (reading between-the-lines, of course.) I'm afraid of what Jerry could do next, but damn if it won't be good!**

**On to the story. I've recently read an excellent Draco and Hermione (Harry Potter) fan fiction, so I confess that if my language changed slightly, it might've been affected by the lovely writing in that story. Also, although this is an AU, I would like the characters to remain as true to form as possible, so if at any time you find a character too OOC, please don't hesitate to let me know. (Except Jason; if you think he's too OOC, there's probably a reason.)**

**I've had this chapter ready to go for a few days, but haven't had internet in a while, so without further adieu…Enjoy!**

XOXO

Her lips tasted just as sweet as he remembered, perhaps sweeter. Jason pulled her closer, starting to deepen their tender kiss, a years' worth of frustration egging him on. She kissed him back almost immediately and Jason couldn't remember the last time he had been this – not content, that wasn't the word; happy wasn't right, either…

Elizabeth pulled away, interrupting his thoughts. He gave a small grunt of disapproval and watched while she placed a finger to her lips, her appearance one of complete shock.

"Why – why did you do that?"

"I told you. I miss you."

"So hug me, Jason, don't kiss me!"

"You kissed me back," he pointed out.

"I know I did," she frowned. "Do you realize what you just did?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I kissed you."

"No," she shook her head. "You cheated on Sam."

"Elizabeth –" he started.

"Do you remember the last time you cheated, Jason?"

He frowned; yes, he remembered all too clearly and it was one of those times in his life that he would've liked to forget.

"My sister, remember? You and Carly? You didn't know better and Robin eventually forgave you but, Jason, you know better now. There is no excuse for what we just did to Sam."

"I love you."

"But you're marrying her."

Jason realized how it might sound and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah."

"Do you still want me?" Elizabeth asked, softly.

He looked at her in bewilderment. "You told me we didn't have a chance."

"I was hurt, Jason."

"You wanted a divorce."

She shook her head. "I couldn't bear to look at you knowing I was the reason our child died."

His brows furrowed. "Elizabeth, it isn't your fault."

"No, it is," she said, firmly. "I was the one driving."

"No. I promised you I would meet you at the Quartermaine's. If that call hadn't come in about the shipment and I hadn't gone to check on it instead, even though Sonny said he would, I would've been the one driving."

"Yes, which means it's my fault."

He cupped her face in his hands and stared into her eyes. "Elizabeth Morgan, what happened to Jake is not your fault."

"Zacchara," she corrected.

"Zacchara," he echoed.

Their gazes locked, they found themselves kissing again, more raw and passionate this time, until Elizabeth pushed him away.

"Jason! Stop that!"

"I'll stop it when you can look me in the eye and tell me you don't love me."

She looked at the ground. "I don't love you," she mumbled.

He frowned. "In the eye."

"I don't love you!" she shouted, looking him in the eye.

It felt as if she had taken a baseball bat to his stomach, but before Jason could react, he gazed in her eyes and knew that she was faking.

"You're lying."

"No I'm not."

"Yes, you are. Your eyes always give you away, remember?"

Elizabeth frowned. "So maybe I do love you, but what difference does it make? Are you still marrying Sam?"

Jason nodded. "I have to. I promised."

"Then why does it matter? Either you want me or you want her. You can't have it both ways, Jason."

"I want you."

"So don't marry her."

"I have to," he frowned. "I'm not breaking another promise."

"Then unless you break it off with Sam," she swallowed, "don't come near me again."

"Elizabeth –"

"Goodbye, Jason."

She glanced one more time at the gravestone and then left before he could amend it to see ya later.

XOXO

She opened the door to see the devastated girl and gasped. "Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth shook her head, the tears spilling out. "I – I don't know what I'm doing here…I just drove…wound up here…"

Laura placed an arm around Elizabeth's shoulders and led her inside the house. "Sweetie, you know you can always come here."

Elizabeth looked at the other woman and attempted a smile. "I know. I was going to visit soon, but…I just…"

The older blonde walked them over to the couch, worn by years of memories. "Okay honey, tell me what's wrong."

"I went to…to Jake's grave…" Elizabeth said, sinking into the cushions while gratefully taking a chocolate chip cookie from the plate Laura offered her. "Jason showed up…" she hesitated.

"That's right, it would be his fifth birthday," Laura said, softly, wiping the tears from Elizabeth's face.

Elizabeth nodded, biting into the warm dessert. "I gave him a stuffed pumpkin," she shyly admitted.

Laura smiled. "He would've loved that."

"There was this red bike on the TV yesterday," Elizabeth said. "For a second there, I looked to see Jake's reaction and…"

"It's still hard."

"Yes," Elizabeth nodded. "It's never felt like he's really gone. Even when they told me the extent of his injuries…I'm a nurse, I should know…even when I saw his body…he was just lying there…it never felt real."

"Oh sweetie," Laura said, enveloping her in a warm hug. "I wish you never had to go through that."

"It helps talking to you about it," Elizabeth smiled.

"Any time." Laura hesitated and continued. "You said Jason showed up?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth frowned.

"And?" Elizabeth's surrogate mother pried, carefully.

"We kissed," she admitted.

"Oh Elizabeth…"

"I know. He cheated on Sam and I let him. I'm awful; what has Sam ever done to me? She didn't deserve that."

Laura frowned. "You're not awful. You're still in love with him."

"But that's no excuse to cheat."

Laura hesitated again. "I know Bobbie already told you…"

Elizabeth nodded. "Yeah, I know, none of you trust her."

"No, we don't."

"Even if she's the worst person in the world, she hasn't done anything to me."

"What happened after you two kissed?" Laura asked, changing the subject only slightly.

"I pushed him away and talked about how he had just cheated on Sam…we talked about the divorce…Jake's death…" Elizabeth swallowed, "and kissed again…"

"You kissed twice?" Laura's eyes widened.

"Yes," Elizabeth frowned. "See? I am awful; I'm selfish and I'm the other woman."

"You aren't awful," Laura reiterated. "Did Jason say anything?"

"Only that he loves and wants me."

Laura smiled. "Elizabeth! That's great news!"

"And that he's still marrying Sam."

The older woman's smile quickly turned into a frown. "Oh."

"Yeah," Elizabeth said, biting her lower lip.

"And you said…"

"I told him goodbye."

Laura gasped. "You've never told him goodbye." She neglected to mention how many times Luke had wished that Elizabeth would detach herself from the mob enforcer, despite her similar background.

"I tried to on the docks the other day."

"And?"

"And he said see ya later."

"This time?"

"I left before he could."

XOXO

Sam pulled down her already low-cut halter slightly so that it showed even more cleavage. She needed the geek's help and from her observations, he couldn't resist womanly charm – especially if it included cleavage.

She sat down by him and watched him typing away at his computer. When he didn't look up, she cleared her throat.

Success. Spinelli glanced at her for a second before returning to his laptop. "Is the Evildoer cursed with faulty vocal chords?"

Sam frowned. Didn't she overhear him call that mousy-haired Georgie Jones a Goddess or Faithful Friend or whatever? How dare he call her an evil…whatever he said.

"No, actually, I need your help with something."

Spinelli looked at her cleavage and Sam smirked. He wouldn't be able to resist her.

To her frustration, he looked away and back to the laptop once more. Couldn't the guy forget his computer for at least two seconds?

"The Jackal refuses assistance to the Evildoer as his Fair Sister is in a state of permanent agony because of her actions."

Sam raised an eyebrow, trying to decipher the geek's words. "Excuse me?"

Robin walked over and looked at Spinelli. "I'm sorry I took so long. Spinelli, are you ready to go?"

He nodded and closed his laptop, packing it away with the care one takes while holding a small child.

The doctor glanced at Sam, disgust evident on her features. "Can I ask why you were speaking with my brother?"

"What, has holier-than-thou Robin Scorpio-Zacchara forbidden people from talking in the hospital?"

Robin glared and shook her head. "It doesn't matter anyway; clearly Spinelli has better things to do than talk to you."

"What the hell did I ever do to you?" Sam asked.

"You're marrying Jason," Robin shrugged.

"Oh I see, you're still in love with him. I wonder how Patrick would feel about that."

Robin gifted her fellow brunette with an eye roll. "If you believe that, you're even more of an idiot than I thought. Come on Spinelli, let's go over to Grams'. I hear she bought a new liter of orange soda just for you."

"Nectar of the gods," Spinelli smiled.

"Lisa should've gotten rid of you when she had the chance," Sam muttered, ignoring the younger boy.

"How dare you," Robin hissed. Her hand went out faster than Sam could blink and she goggled at the other woman, holding her stinging cheek.

"Wouldn't Jason like to know how you are when he isn't around," Robin seethed.

"Wouldn't Patrick like to know you still love your ex," Sam mocked, despite the pain.

Robin looked at her like she was a piece of toilet paper clinging to the bottom of her shoe and shook her head.

"You know what my sister always says?"

"No, what does your precious Elizabeth always say?"

"Karma's a bitch and she will catch up. And," Robin added, "you can be sure I'll be around when she does."

XOXO

He walked into Jake's and wondered almost instantly what he was doing here. Jason knew he couldn't walk into the bar he used to frequent without being flooded by memories of Elizabeth.

He gave a sardonic laugh. So much for the doctors telling him he wasn't capable of dwelling in the past. He'd give anything to get rid of these memories now, but at the same time he couldn't imagine letting them go.

"Jake, give me a beer," he told the bartender.

Jake looked like she wanted to say something but thought better of it, a first for the normally blunt woman. She handed him the beverage and swiped down the bar with a towel.

Jason walked over to the pool table and stared down at the green felt. He chalked up the cue and hit the balls into the pockets; he could almost feel the touch of her hand against his and thought back to the first time he taught her.

Lucky and Elizabeth were drifting apart and Jason and Elizabeth had been hanging out more than usual after Robin moved to Paris. Elizabeth sketched him while he played and then he offered to teach her. Her skepticism indicated that she was sure she couldn't be taught, but Jason had proven her wrong. A couple of times, Elizabeth even managed to kick his ass at the game.

The pool table in his – their penthouse was a present from Jason to Elizabeth on their wedding day. Despite their divorce, he couldn't bear to dispose of it.

Finishing, Jason sighed and grabbed a seat in the darkest corner he could find. The look on Elizabeth's face before she walked away…he had hurt her again. Jason frowned. He couldn't seem to stop hurting her.

On his third beer, Jason realized how much of an ass he had been with her. He told her he loved and wanted her only to take it back by saying he was still marrying Sam. Not for the first time, Jason wished he hadn't made that damn promise, but after his marriage ended with Elizabeth, he was numb. Sam needed help and he was willing to provide it.

He still didn't understand why Sam hadn't informed Lucky of his being a father, but figured it had something to do with the bad breakup they went through. Sam needed someone to take care of her after her fall and almost-miscarriage and Jason agreed as a favor to Lucky, although the younger man didn't have a clue.

On his eighth beer, Jason growled and thought he should've refused Sam when she asked him to marry her. She was so heartbroken after losing her daughter; he just wanted to make her happy again. He was convinced then that he loved her and Jason was sure that a part of him still did. The problem was, he couldn't fully love Sam until he stopped loving Elizabeth and regardless of their fights and consequent divorce, Jason knew he never would.

XOXO

Johnny walked into Audrey Hardy's quaint house and greeted his grandmother with a light kiss on the cheek.

"Grams, how are you?"

"Fine, just fine John. Tell me, will Lizzie be joining us today?"

"'Fraid not, Grams. She texted me and said she went to Laura's and was heading over to GH to work on that mural."

"Oh, dear," Audrey frowned. "I do hope nothing's wrong."

"Elizabeth's tough, Grams."

"I know, John. A grandmother can't help but worry about these things," she said, patting his hand. After assuring her that he didn't need anything, Audrey relocated to the kitchen and Johnny joined his siblings on the couch.

"Mac have any luck finding Frisco yet?" he asked his older sister.

Robin shook her head. "No, but it'll be a miracle if he does; no one's heard from him in a couple of years."

"That must suck."

She shrugged. "I know Frisco cares about me, but I also know that settling down was never for him. I wish Maxie and Georgie hadn't been affected, but I'm glad they have Uncle Mac."

Johnny's eyes lit up at Georgie's name, so quickly that Robin almost didn't catch it. Almost.

"I knew it!" she exclaimed.

"Knew what?" Johnny asked, nonchalantly.

"Oh nothing, just that you're crazy about Georgie."

"No I'm not," Johnny denied.

"Please Johnny, it's written all over your face."

He glared. "Did Liz tell you?"

"Elizabeth knows?"

Dammit. He was usually better at keeping these things quiet. "No, she doesn't. There's nothing to know."

"Too late, Johnny. You already let on that Elizabeth knows which means there is something to know."

Spinelli glanced at his older brother before returning to his laptop. "The Jackal believes the Broody Brother and the Faithful Friend would be a compatible match."

Johnny glared at his brother. "She's too young for me."

"Like that's ever stopped you before," Robin noted.

"You sound just like Liz," Johnny growled.

"Well we are sisters," Robin shrugged.

"Not biologically."

"Biology isn't important."

She had him there. "…true."

"Unless you've decided I'm not your sister anymore just because I'm bugging you about your obvious crush on my cousin?"

"Come on, Robin, you know you'll always be my bossy, annoying big sis," Johnny smirked.

The older brunette hit him with one of Audrey's decorative pillows, which earned a "hey!" from Johnny and resulted in a pillow fight between the two while Spinelli continued to be lost in cyberspace.

"Children!" Audrey scolded, returning from the kitchen with a fresh pitcher of lemonade.

The fight ended immediately and Robin and Johnny looked down, ashamed.

"That's better," Audrey nodded, pouring each of them a glass and then clasping her hands. "I have to head over to General Hospital for a board meeting; will you two be fine here and can I trust you not to ruin my best pillows?"

"Yes, Grams," Johnny said, sheepishly.

Robin nodded and Audrey granted both of them with a smile.

"Good. I'll see you later, my dears."

She left and Johnny turned to Robin. "How does she always do that?"

Robin shook her head. "Patrick's terrified of her."

He smirked. "Ooh, talk about leverage."

"Johnny…" Robin warned.

He held up his hands. "Chill, sis. I'm kidding…maybe."

Robin narrowed her eyes at him and then sighed. "I guess Patrick's going to have to get used to being in this family sooner or later. Just don't give him an initiation like you did with Jason."

As usual when his ex-brother-in-law was brought up, the younger mobster glared. "Patrick will be fine as long as he stays on Elizabeth's good side."

"Oh he will, if he knows what's good for him," Robin winked.

Elizabeth was the sweetest person the two of them knew, but she had a temper like no other – a trait Robin was sure she inherited from Anthony. Both of her siblings had the misfortune of getting on her bad side at least twice before and suffered through a week of trickery and mischief. She hadn't won the twins' pranking contest for nothing, after all.

"You know I'm not dropping the whole Georgie subject," she added.

Johnny groaned. "Robin…"

"Just promise me you won't do something stupid like date Lulu. She was a great kid, but I don't recognize her anymore."

"Why would I date Lulu?"

"Because any guy who's ever been interested in Georgie seems to. Dillon, Logan…"

"Dillon couldn't wait for Georgie and Logan was an ass," Johnny pointed out.

"Dillon did love Georgie, though."

"Who said anything about love?" Johnny asked.

"You don't love Georgie?" Robin asked, suspiciously.

"No."

"Sure."

"Robin…"

"I didn't love Patrick."

"Yes, you did. You both loved each other and everyone knew it except you and Patrick."

"So then tell me why I should believe you when you say you don't love her?"

"It's just a crush, Robin. Beer, girl, bed and I'll be over it," he said.

Johnny's eyes widened and he looked at her, accusingly. "You tricked me!"

Robin smirked. "I told you. There was something to know and I just got it out of you."

Their younger brother glanced up briefly from his computer. "Indeed, the Genteel Sister has bested the Broody Brother and may The Jackal again point out the suitable match his brother and the Faithful Friend and Wise Georgie would make?"

"Stay out of this, Spinelli," Johnny told him, although it wasn't difficult to realize that he was teasing.

"I could put in a good word for you with Mac," Robin suggested.

"Just forget it. She's too young for me and I'll get over this…crush, eventually."

XOXO

**Robin and Johnny took on a life of their own; I didn't expect that section to be so long, but I hope it didn't drag.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Alright, here's a Question of the Day: what's your favorite Liason quote?**

XOXO

**Only six chapters in and this story is already up to 59 reviews! Thank you so much!**

Thank you, **Guest**; the simple enthusiasm in your "More please!" made me smile. You might like this chapter, then, and I'm glad you're enjoying the family bonding.

Very true, **sashahailee**. I also am enjoying the show, even when Jason and Elizabeth aren't on, and considering that there was a point when I only watched Elizabeth and Scrubs scenes, that's a big difference. Agreed; I hope a little bit of old-school Elizabeth comes out when she learns what Ewen did to her friend. Sam should just leave town with McBain and never come back. ;] I heard that too and I'm leaning more and more toward believing it, but we'll see!

I agree, **Twisted Musilah**, but unfortunately, Jason is very clueless.

Me too, **vlalita**, and may I again say that I love your nickname for them?

You're welcome, **sj**, and thank _you_ for the review. I'm glad you liked the section with Robin and Johnny and the kiss. I love Jerry's character and am glad to see him back in town; I never trusted Ewen (maybe I'm suspicious of guys who are too charming) so I'm not surprised that he turned out to be a bad guy "with a heart."

Hmm, what could Sam possibly be planning, **Virgy15**? Elizabeth saw Jake's body, unlike in the show, so how do you think Jake could be alive? (I'm curious.) I'm so glad that I could get you to enjoy Robin! She's one of my absolute favorites, but I do know a lot of Elizabeth fans/Liason fans don't like her. Thank you!

Thank you, **Kimmy123**. Unfortunately, Jason and Elizabeth are both too stubborn, which is ironic since Elizabeth told Jason that about Sonny and Brenda. Does she have an angle? Hmm…

I agree, **lrobinson01**.

Thank you and I'm glad you liked it, **babeboo1968**!

I'm glad it didn't drag, **Carla**, and thank you for letting me know. Hmm, that gives me something to think about.

Exactly, **chawkchic**, and since GH is a story about many different people, I wanted to write this like I was writing an episode.

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited or followed this story.**

XOXO

**Anyone else find it suspicious what Carly said about Josslyn being able to sleep on the back of a motorcycle? Hmm…**

**Tomorrow, Jason and Sam say goodbye! Let's hope it's for good!**

**Enjoy!**

XOXO

"Mrs. Valentini, how are you this morning?"

Francine Valentini looked up from her knitting and smiled, spotting Elizabeth in the doorway. "I'm just fine, Elizabeth. I was wondering if I'd see you today."

Elizabeth smiled back at the elderly woman and went over to check her vitals. "I'm sorry I haven't come in sooner."

Francine was one of Elizabeth's favorite patients. The woman reminded Elizabeth of how her mom might be had Maria lived and she enjoyed hearing all about Francine's experiences – many occurring in Florence, Italy, where Francine had lived for half of her life.

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart. You have far more important things to do than listen to an old crone like me."

Elizabeth shook her head. "You really should give yourself more credit."

"I could say the same for you, dear," Francine smiled.

"Knock knock."

Francine turned her head in the direction of the door and smiled brighter; the way a schoolgirl does when she has a crush on her much older teacher. "Dr. Drake."

"Mrs. Valentini, how are you feeling?"

"Like I just told Elizabeth, I'm fine."

Patrick gave her a dimply grin and moved to check on her. "Just doing my job, Mrs. Valentini."

"You know you can call me Francine," she flirted.

"Alright, Francine," he smiled.

Elizabeth shook her head and laughed. "I should get back to my rounds; I'll try to come see you later, Mrs. Valentini," she said, touching the woman's shoulder in a friendly caress.

"That'll be fine, dear," Francine smiled once more before turning her gaze back to Patrick.

Elizabeth continued her rounds and after checking on the kids in the children's wing, headed back to the nurse's desk.

"Elizabeth, do you have that file on Mr. Carlivati?"

"Mhm," she nodded, handing him the binder.

"Thanks," Patrick grinned. "Mrs. Valentini has really taken a liking to you, not that I'm surprised."

"She's a wonderful woman," Elizabeth smiled.

"She's always raving about you."

"Just doing my job," Elizabeth brushed off, repeating Patrick's own words.

He shook his head. "You know, she's right; you do need to give yourself more credit."

"And you need to give yourself less."

He laughed. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something."

Elizabeth raised her brow and nodded, using a receipt as a bookmark in the binder she had been looking through. "Shoot."

"I know you're Robin's maid-of-honor, but aside from Coleman, you're pretty much my best friend and I, uh…" Patrick hesitated.

Elizabeth tried to hide the shock she felt at Patrick's hesitation on anything. "You want me to be a grooms…woman?"

"No…um…do you think you could be my best…woman? I was thinking Coleman could still be the traditional best man, and uh…"

She laughed. "Sure, I'd love to. I don't think most people have two roles in a wedding."

"Three," he smirked. "Wedding planner, remember?"

"Bren and Maxie will plan more of the wedding than I will."

"What was that I said about giving yourself more credit?"

"You know, you sound like Robin."

"Well that's good, seeing as I am marrying her."

"It's about time you got over that commitment phobia."

"I couldn't let her slip through my fingers just because I wasn't man enough to pop the question," Patrick smiled. "And the fact that I just admitted to not being man enough was the main reason I had to. Patrick Drake is not a wuss."

"Nah, he's a Macho Man."

"Exactly. Anyway, I should get to Mr. Carlivati; catch you later?"

"Of course."

Elizabeth watched Patrick walk off and laughed, thinking about the first time he walked into GH and both Robin and herself took an instant dislike to him. If someone would've told Elizabeth that in the future, Patrick Drake would not only be one of her best friends, but he would also marry Robin, she would've slapped them. Granted, the man did save Jason's life, but he was cocky as they came.

His brother was the same way, but Elizabeth thought that Matt Hunter might've improved slightly in his temperament since finally getting together with Maxie. The two had been at each other's throats worse and more often than Patrick and Robin ever were and frankly, it got a little tiresome to hear Maxie constantly complaining about what an ass that Matt Hunter was.

"If you don't stop getting lost in your thoughts, you're gonna hit the wrong button and some patient will get the wrong pills," Epiphany raised her brow.

"Sorry," Elizabeth blushed, paying better attention to the computer. "Spinelli's much better with these things than I am."

"You're still better with them than me," Epiphany shrugged. "I swear these things hate me."

"Computers aren't capable of human emotion, Epiphany." *

"Tell that to that brother of yours."

"I've tried," Elizabeth laughed. "You know how hard it is to tear him away from that laptop."

"Oh yeah, I know," Epiphany nodded. "The Baldwin girl was here the other day and kept trying."

"Serena?"

"Yeah, her. Girl clearly has a thing for your brother."

"No way," Elizabeth shook her head. "It's too weird to think of."

"Weirder things have happened," Epiphany noted.

"True, like Patrick proposing. I hear you helped him plan it."

Epiphany waved a hand. "It was nothing he couldn't do on his own."

Elizabeth smiled. "I know you care about them, Epiphany."

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Now get back to work," the head nurse scolded, although Elizabeth could detect a slight twinkle in her dark eyes.

"Yes, ma'am," Elizabeth resumed typing into the computer and looked up only when Lainey joined them to inquire about what Elizabeth thought if the therapist were to accept a date with Corinthos-Morgan guard, Cody Paul.

XOXO

He opened the door and was immediately slapped upside the head.

"Hey!" The slap had no affect on him, other than alarm, but it was certainly not what Jason expected. He had answered the knock despite internal protests that he wanted to stay in solitude and now was wishing that he had done just that.

"Jason Morgan, you are one of the most idiotic people on this planet, do you realize that?"

He grimaced. "Great to see you too, Emily."

Emily Bowen Quartermaine, still in her scrubs after a long day of taking care of patients, entered the penthouse without another word and spun around, glancing over the damage. Most of it had been cleaned up, but a few bits of glass still stuck in various parts of the carpet and the table was still overturned. Jason had thought about propping it upright, but hadn't made any move to. He made a mental note to do so later.

"What's this I hear about you kissing Elizabeth? Twice?"

Jason looked at her. "She told you?"

"No, I heard it from Amy, who overheard Bobbie talking with Laura, who was told by Elizabeth. Want to tell me why you're going around kissing my best friend when you're engaged to someone else?"

"Since when do you care about Sam?" Jason asked, skeptically. Emily had made her distaste for his fiancée more than clear and he secretly found it amusing that his sister and Carly agreed on something for once.

"See, you really are an idiot. This has nothing to do with how Sam might feel; it's that you kissed Elizabeth – twice! – and then told her that yes, you love and want her, but no, you're still marrying Sam. I'm not supposed to be upset that a. you did that and b. I had to hear it from Amy and not my best friend who usually tells me everything?"

"I do love her, Em, but I promised Sam…"

"Oh whatever, Jase. Do you really think Sam wants to get married to someone who's in love with someone else?"

"Well no, but…"

"Jase, she's been using you all along, can't you see that? Did you ever ask her why she refused to tell Lucky he had a kid?"

"No."

"You don't find it the tiniest bit suspicious that not only does she not tell Lucky he's going to be a father but she also runs to you and has you promise that you'll take care of her and the kid when she knows that you and Elizabeth just got divorced?"

"Uh –" Jason didn't know what to say. Emily had a point and he wondered why he hadn't thought of it before. "Well, you know, it was probably the bad breakup they had."

"You mean when Lucky walked in and found Sam sleeping with her stepfather on her mom's floor?"

"What?"

"Oh, I guess your precious Sam neglected to let you know. Let me guess, she told you Lucky broke up with her because she wouldn't move with him to the city, right?"

"Yeah…"

"So she never mentioned that she agreed to go with him and then slept with Ric?"

"No."

"Well think on that, Jase, and I better not hear about you kissing Elizabeth again or sleeping with her or something until you get your act together and figure out what it is you really want and when you do, Jase, just go for it, none of this 'she deserves better' crap or whatever the hell you've been telling yourself."

Emily shook her head and smiled, as if the events of the last few minutes had never transpired. "I have to go; I told Zander I'd meet him at Kelly's. You know I love you, Jase, but you really need to fix things, okay?" She gave him a hug and shut the door behind her, leaving a baffled Jason in her wake.

XOXO

"Have you decided what you're going to do about Lizzie yet?"

"I told you, nothing. Jason would get suspicious and then everything would be ruined."

"So you're just going to let him kiss her?"

"What?" Sam screeched, dropping the bottle of nail polish and leaving a quickly growing stain in Sarah's carpet.

"Dammit!" Sarah yelled, hurrying to the kitchen and returning to clean the stain before it became permanent. Her apartment was pristine, as her room had been while growing up, and she wanted to keep it that way. Her brother Steven often teased her about being over-organized but since he had always been rather fond of their cousin, Sarah really didn't care what he thought.

"Sam, hon, you're so clumsy."

Sam ignored the thinly veiled insult and glared at Lisa. "What the hell did you just say?" she demanded.

"Jason kissed Elizabeth," Lisa informed her, patiently, as if she were explaining the difference between an apple and an orange to an inquisitive five-year old.

"And how do you know that?"

The two doctors exchanged a look and then Sarah answered. "Lisa overheard Amy Vining and that spoiled brat best friend of Lizzie's gossiping about Jason and Elizabeth kissing in the cemetery."

"The cemetery? Why the hell were they in the cemetery?"

Lisa rolled her eyes. "Don't act so surprised. It was their kid's birthday, remember?"

"Birthday? He's dead."

"Well apparently they felt the need to celebrate his birthday anyway."

"What a great way to show you care about your kid, kissing next to his gravestone," Sarah said, gifting the two other women with an eye roll similar to Lisa's.

"And what did Elizabeth do?" Sam asked, trying to control her anger.

"Kissed him back, of course. Well, she did push him away and told him how they had just cheated on you or Amy probably told Emily that to sugarcoat Lizzie's behavior and then they kissed again so even if it wasn't sugarcoating, it sure didn't mean anything and then she pushed him away again."

"Twice!" Sam screeched, louder this time. "How dare he!"

"You see, if you'd taken care of Lizzie, none of this would've happened," Sarah told her, calmly.

Sam glared. "If it were up to me, that bitch would be at the bottom of the harbor, but Jason kissing her means even more that we can't do anything because if somehow he finds out that it was us, we'll be dead on the spot."

"So you're going to let her steal your man the way she stole Lucky?"

"You didn't want Lucky; you wanted his brother," Lisa reminded her fellow blonde.

"It doesn't matter; he wanted me and Lizzie still stole him and if that wasn't bad enough, she had to go and ruin any hope I had of becoming roya – I mean, being with Nikolas," Sarah said.

Sam's phone rang at that moment and she excused herself, going into the other room while listening to Sarah and Lisa take turns complaining about Elizabeth and her sister.

"Yeah, what?" she barked into the phone, her mind still on Jason's betrayal. There was a fine line between telling Sonny he still loved Elizabeth and actually kissing the woman without caring whatsoever about Sam's feelings.

"It's me."

"I told you not to call," Sam's voice dropped to a low whisper so her friends wouldn't hear.

"We have a problem."

XOXO

"Elizabeth! It's good to see you," Mac said, giving his surrogate niece a kiss on the cheek.

"Good to see you too, Mac," she smiled. "Is Robin here? We were going to meet at the station."

"Not yet. I think she took Robby to look at suits."

"He couldn't have been happy about that."

"Not at all, but Felicia told him he wouldn't be able to visit with Michael unless he went."

Elizabeth laughed and Mac smiled.

"I have some fine new cadets you might like," he said, casually and innocently.

"Mac –" she warned.

"Just one date, Elizabeth; what could it hurt?"

She sighed, knowing Mac could be as stubborn as Robin, perhaps more so. "Okay. I'll meet them, but no promises."

"Good," the older man nodded, smiling. "They should be back from training soon. It's a shame Lucky didn't become a cadet like he considered."

"He's happy."

"Playing in clubs, I hear," Mac said.

"Is that disgust I note in the voice of the man who owned the Outback?" Elizabeth teased.

Mac looked sheepish. "Okay, you've got me." He started to say something else, probably to apologize, when he noticed the cadets coming into the station.

"Elizabeth, I'd like you to meet Eric Brady, Brandon Summers , and Dante Falconeri. Eric's a transfer from Salem."

Elizabeth smiled at the three men. "Nice to meet you."

"How do you do, miss?" Brandon asked in a thick Southern brogue, shaking her hand.

"Fine, thank you," Elizabeth smiled, trying not to blush.

"Hey," Dante nodded, grinning.

"Hey, aren't you Sonny's kid?"

"Yup." Dante's face showed indifference and Elizabeth could tell he neither liked nor hated Sonny.

"I'm good friends with your dad," she noted.

"Cool."

"And your stepmom."

"Oh yeah, she's cool," Dante said with a grin.

"You remind me of my twin sister," Eric told her.

"I do?" Elizabeth raised her brow.

"Yeah, you just have this…energy that reminds me of Sami."

"I'm a twin too," Elizabeth told him.

"See, maybe you are like her," Eric smiled.

"I'll see you later, miss, I need to talk to the instructor about something," Brandon said, politely excusing himself from the conversation.

Dante and Eric took their leave as well and Elizabeth turned to Mac. "You really want me to date one of them, don't you?"

"Well not Dante," Mac said. "He's a good guy, but being Sonny's kid…"

"You forget I'm the daughter of Anthony Zacchara," Elizabeth reminded him.

"I forget because you're nothing like him," Mac smiled. "You're all Maria."

"Maybe not all," she smirked.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about what my poor niece went through last time she made you mad."

"You know I'd never hurt Robin."

"Yes, I know; you'd just prank her for a week, and you did. What'd you think of the other two guys?"

"Eric and Brandon? Eric seems okay…" Elizabeth hesitated.

"And Brandon?" Mac pressed.

"He's…cute," Elizabeth blushed.

"I thought you'd like him," Mac smirked. "It's that accent, isn't it?"

"Maybe. I told you I'd meet them; I never agreed to date any."

"Ask him out just once; what could it hurt?" Mac repeated his earlier words.

"With those manners, I doubt he'd agree to a date unless he was the one asking," Elizabeth told him.

"What date?" Robin asked, giving her uncle and sister both hugs.

"Nothing," Mac said, quickly.

Robin gave him a look and turned to Elizabeth.

"Mac wants me to date one of the cadets," her younger sister informed her.

Mac glared playfully. "Oh I see how it is, hanging me out to dry."

"Uncle Mac, I told you not to set Elizabeth up with anyone."

"They're great guys and just the kind of person she deserves."

Robin shook her head and looked at Elizabeth. "I'm sorry; he seems to think that you'd be happy if you date one of his cadets. Aunt Felicia thinks a date would do you good, too, but Uncle Mac is the only one who's really pressed the issue."

"It's fine," Elizabeth said. "I was just telling him that one of the guys was cute," she giggled.

"Oh really?" Robin asked. "Details, please."

"Brandon Summers," Mac informed her.

"Ooh, the Southern guy."

"You met him?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yeah, the other day when Bren and I visited Coop in cadet training. You're right; he is cute."

"Okay, so you date him."

Robin laughed. "I'm taken, remember?" she said, flashing her engagement ring.

Elizabeth smiled. "I know."

"Just promise me you'll consider it," Mac told her.

"Yes, Mac, I'll consider it," she said, giving him a hug. "Come on, Robin, we have to meet Bren and Maxie at the studio and I wanted to bake some brownies before they came."

"I'm surprised we're not all fat from those brownies," Robin grinned.

"Be sure to save some for us," Mac told her.

"Of course," Elizabeth smiled, taking Robin's arm in hers and dragging her out while Robin teased her about thinking one of the cadets cute. She knew she shouldn't have told Robin and wondered if the teasing would stop before John found out or what would happen if he did. Aside from Mac, her twin didn't care for the law even more than he didn't care for Jason and she was worried what he might do to Brandon if he knew she was even talking about him.

Not that it should matter, since talking about Brandon Summers didn't mean anything except that she found the man attractive. It wasn't like anything else would happen with the man she just met, whether she initiated it or not.

XOXO

**Steve: **"Frank [Valentini, GH Executive Producer] always speaks very highly of her [Becky.]" (Rebecca Herbst Soiree, Fan Club Weekend, 2012)

*** Elizabeth**: "Computers aren't capable of human emotion, Epiphany." (April 20, 2009)

XOXO

**Mine:**

_Jason: _"But I do know what I get from you, Elizabeth. You're so beautiful…smart. You make me see things I've never even noticed until you pointed them out. You have a lot of dreams and that's good because I, I hardly have any, so I can believe in yours. That's what you bring to me. I mean, what, what can I give you? Motorcycle rides and… pool lessons, that's about it."

_Elizabeth_: "You listened when no one else could hear me. You trusted me to live my own life when I didn't even trust myself. You make me happy. _You make me feel free._"

- MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2002


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter didn't come as easily as the other six, but oh well…**

Thank you, **vlalita. **I do too; I remember when Mac yelled at Elizabeth for the whole Lucky/Maxie thing and I think that with as close as Elizabeth is to Emma, Patrick, Anna, and Robin, she could be close with Mac too, if GH gave it a chance. Anyway, I figured since Robin is her adoptive sister in this story, Mac and Elizabeth would be close through that.

Thank you, **Devil Jolie! **(Which reminds me, I messed up affect v. effect last chapter – I always manage to do that…) You know Jason, he's one of the most obstinate people there is, but hopefully Emily did get through to him.

She sure does, **Carla**. Thank you, I put two quotes there as reference to what I had done in the story and the other one was just my favorite Liason quote.

That's very true, **Virgy15**. Laura told Bobbie out of concern for Elizabeth and the two thought they were alone, but you know that Amy, always around every corner. As of this point, Sam will be leaving Elizabeth alone because she doesn't want to wind up dead, but anything can happen. Thank you!

Thank you, **babeboo1968**!

Thank you, **Guest**. Keep in mind that Sam isn't carrying any kid – she did, but she miscarried, and that's why Jason accepted her proposal because he thought that rejecting her would just make her more upset…or something; I don't know, Jason's thought process in this story is confusing even to me, at times.

Thank you, **lrobinson01**. The Three Stooges! Lmao!

He desperately needs a clue, **Twisted Musilah**.

XOXO

**No Jason and Sam confrontation in this chapter, but perhaps y'all will still find something to like…**

**Enjoy!**

XOXO

"Oh Robin, you're gorgeous!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "I mean, not that you're not gorgeous otherwise…" she stammered.

Maxie waved a hand, effectively cutting her off. "What Liz is trying to say is that you really should listen to your cousin more often because as always, I'm right about this dress."

Robin laughed. "Have I ever told you that your ego might be worse than Patrick's and Matt's combined?"

"Yes, many times. Now turn around," the blonde said absentmindedly, scrutinizing the wedding dress.

"I was one hot bride, but you know Robin, you might just top me," Brenda noted.

Robin blushed. "Oh please, Brenda, who's the model here?"

"Me," Brenda answered, casually.

"Exactly," Robin nodded.

"You're gorgeous and you know it," Elizabeth told her sister.

Robin glanced at herself in the mirror and the other three women could detect the slightest hint of a smile. "Well maybe just a little."

"Try more like a lot," Maxie said. "You won't be a prettier bride than me if I ever get married and believe me, that is the last thing on my mind because I'm definitely going to have a career first, but you will be a beautiful bride. Buy the dress."

"And if I don't?"

"I'll never leave you alone about it," Maxie shrugged.

"Alright, alright, I'll buy the dress."

"Good," Maxie smiled. "Now was that really so hard?"

"Maxie, you know Robin; she doesn't like anything extravagant," Elizabeth noted.

"Nuance."

"'Nuance?'" Robin raised a brow. "Has someone been helping Georgie study?"

"Ew, no way," her younger cousin shuddered. "But I might have listened to her once or twice."

Robin slipped out of the wedding dress and grabbed three other dress bags, handing them to each of the women. "Okay, now your turn."

Elizabeth didn't like the idea of modeling in front of anyone and decided to wait until the other two were done trying theirs on. Maxie announced that hers wasn't frilly enough and Brenda thanked Robin for choosing a pink dress that still managed to match the color scheme.

When she couldn't procrastinate any longer, Elizabeth slipped into hers and the three women gasped.

"Liz, you have curves!" a shocked Maxie shouted. Her reaction was understandable, as Elizabeth often wore clothes based on comfort, rather than style.

"You look beautiful, Elizabeth," Brenda nodded, approvingly.

"You're going to outshine me," Robin laughed.

"Oh no, no I won't," Elizabeth assured her.

"Beautiful," came a fourth, softer voice.

Elizabeth whipped her head up and caught Brandon Summers looking briefly at her before turning around. She blushed and made her way over to him.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?"

"Only that you look beautiful," he said in that same Southern brogue that sent shivers down her spine.

"Tha – thank you," she stuttered.

"You're welcome," he smiled.

"Are those for your girlfriend?" she said, gesturing to the earring box he held.

"No, no," he chuckled. "Sister. Her birthday's coming up and Cooper Barrett told me to look into this place."

Elizabeth looked at the earrings and smiled. "Well I wouldn't say I'm an earring expert, but I do think she'll love those."

He smiled in return. "I noticed you aren't wearing a ring…boyfriend?"

"Uh uh. Single."

"Well then, I know this is sudden and that we only met today, but I was wondering if you might consider grabbing dinner, say, this weekend?"

"I would love to go to dinner with you. Did Mac put you up to this?"

Brandon looked astonished. "No, miss, he didn't have anything to do with it."

"Call me Elizabeth," she smiled.

"Yes, alright, Elizabeth," he said, softly.

Elizabeth noticed that the line had cleared and nodded in the direction of the cash register. "You should go pay for those earrings…" she trailed off.

"Of course," he paused. "So should I pick you up or meet you somewhere?"

"How about you get my number from Mac and then we can figure everything out? He'll be more than happy to give it to you," she laughed.

"Sounds good," Brandon smiled. "I'll see you later."

"Yes," Elizabeth nodded. "See you later."

She felt someone dragging her backward and then almost fell over when three women crowded her and started shouting out inquiries.

"Who's that?" Brenda asked.

"He's so hot!" Maxie exclaimed.

"You're going on a date with Brandon?" Robin asked.

"Details!" Brenda insisted.

"He's so hot!" Maxie repeated.

"I can't believe this; you're actually going on a date!"

"He's Southern, right? He totally sounded Southern."

Elizabeth tuned out the questions and smiled softly, her mind already wandering to the weekend.

XOXO

He raced down the road, at a dangerous, reckless speed, enjoying the freedom racing gave him. It didn't take his mind off a certain brunette, which was why he had gone racing in the first place, but it did clear his mind for at least a little bit.

Johnny stopped the car and got out, running over to his nephew's gravestone while thinking, not for the first time, that if Jason Morgan had kept his promise that night, the kid wouldn't be buried under all this dirt in the first place.

"Hey, kid," he said, placing the yellow toy car with the other presents. "I should've come sooner, I know." He paused. "I went racing today; remember me telling you I'd take you when you were older, but we couldn't tell your mom? I know this toy car isn't as good as the real thing, but maybe it works as a substitute. Do they have racing wherever you are? I bet Grandma's taking good care of you. Tell her hi for me, will you?"

He sighed. "I wish you were here, kid; your mom, she pretends to be happy, but anyone who knows her knows better. You were the light of her life, you know that, right? Cheesy, I know, but true…

"Aunt Robin's getting married," he smiled. "Yeah, to Uncle Patrick. None of us thought he'd ever take the leap, but it's about damn – sorry, kid – it's about time he did. You'd make a good ring bearer, you know? I know, you'd rather run around naked than in a suit, but I think you'd be awesome. Robin gave Robby the job, but he's kinda old for ring bearer and he's not happy about having to wear a suit, either.

"Remember Aunt Georgie? She's something else, isn't she?" he smiled. "Can you believe it, kid? Your Uncle John has a crush. Pathetic, I know." He shook his head, as if he couldn't believe it himself.

"Uncle Spin's just as weird as always and Aunt Brenda and Uncle Sonny are fighting, again." Johnny rolled his eyes at the mere mention of Sonny, although the man didn't anger him as much as Sonny's partner-in-crime. "Spin tried to get your mom signed up for a dating service, but of course she turned him down.

"Just…do me a favor and keep watching over your mom, okay kid? I know she's strong, but even Elizabeth needs help every now and then. I'm worried about her and you know I hate worrying about anyone. "

Johnny glanced at the various presents and smiled. "I don't know why we leave you all these gifts, but you'd love this car, and this pumpkin. I bet Elizabeth gave you the pumpkin and Brenda probably brought you the pink flowers. You'd hate the pink flowers, but you know Aunt Maxie, she'd scream if we gave you…black flowers, or something. Although you'd either want blue or none at all, right? Kid who loves cars and motorcycles – yeah, I'm leaning toward none at all."

He shook his head again. "Damn, I never talk this much. I need to get going, kid, but know how much we all love and miss you and maybe you could put in a word with the man upstairs or whoever to make sure your mom's happy again? Put us all at ease?" Johnny briefly caressed the gravestone. "I'll come back soon. Promise."

XOXO

Elizabeth walked into Kelly's, Robby a few paces in front of her. After she and the girls had finished dress shopping, a desperate Mac had called. He and Felicia wanted to have a rare night alone and since Georgie was working a shift, Maxie was finishing up a project for her fashion class, and Robin was over at Patrick's, Elizabeth assured him she would gladly baby-sit. Of course, this meant half an hour of Mac's gloating that Brandon had asked him for her number, and Robby's insistence that he was too old for a baby-sitter, but Elizabeth had merely laughed.

"Robby, why don't you grab us a booth?"

"Sure," he nodded, running over to choose one while killing monsters on his Game Boy.

"Elizabeth! Baby-sitting duty?"

"Mhm."

"I'm sorry I couldn't take him tonight."

"Don't worry about it, Georgie; you're working. It's completely understandable."

The younger girl smiled and grabbed her notepad. "Alright, what can I get you two?"

"Robby will have a burger, fries, and a chocolate shake – if you could somehow get a salad in there, it would be great; I know he doesn't like it, so just sneak it to him somehow so he still gets his veggies. I already ate dinner; go ahead and get me an orange cranberry muffin and a hot chocolate."

Georgie shook her head. "I'll never understand how you can drink hot chocolate in this heat."

"It's not impossible," Elizabeth laughed.

"No, just…weird. Anyway…how are you? I know it was Jake's birthday yesterday."

"I wouldn't say I'm fine, but it does get a little easier every day. Never easy, but easier," Elizabeth confided.

Georgie placed a hand over Elizabeth's. "You know you can talk to me any time, right?"

"Yes, I know," Elizabeth smiled. "Have I ever said how glad I am to have you in the family?"

"Yes, but you can always say it again," Georgie laughed.

She glanced around the diner and looked at Elizabeth apologetically. "I'm sorry; I should get back to work…"

"Of course. I should get back to your brother."

"Maybe if the crowd thins out long enough for me to have a break, I'll come join you guys."

"We'd like that."

Elizabeth took the food from Georgie and headed over to Robby.

"So, buddy, how's school going?"

Robby groaned. "All the teachers expect me to be as smart as George or as talkative as Max. Did you have that problem, Lizzie?"

"Not exactly," Elizabeth shook her head. "I mean, sometimes, yeah, I'd get to a class like science or something and I'd be expected to be a whiz at it, but you know her, she's really smart and me, I pretty much blew off any class that didn't involve a paintbrush and a canvas."

"But you're smart too," Robby protested.

"Thanks," she smiled. "John had trouble with the art teacher; she was convinced he'd be the next Picasso if he just focused. Don't blow off high school like I did, okay? I'm lucky I made it to college."

"No worries. George won't let me; anyway, Dad would go ballistic and I wouldn't be able to hang out with Michael." He said the latter in a tone that indicated the world would cease to exist if he didn't get to hang out with Michael Quartermaine.

"By the way, he still doesn't know what his dad sees in Sarah," Robby informed Elizabeth.

"None of us do, but he must see something," she shrugged. "AJ's smarter than most people give him credit for."

"Yeah, maybe."

Robby bit into his burger and proceeded to continue his game while Elizabeth took slow bites from her muffin, savoring the sweet taste. She heard the door open and looked up, expecting to see Brandon.

"Jason," she whispered.

Her charge quickly looked up from his game and gifted the enforcer with a look that both Johnny and Mac would be proud of.

Jason noticed Elizabeth and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I, uh, I can come back later…"

"No," she shook her head. "You have just as much right to be here as anyone."

"No, it's okay. I was just getting chili, but I can go somewhere else..."

"Jason. You're gonna stay here, okay?"

"Are you sure?" he asked, searching her gaze.

"Yeah. I'm sure."

"Alright…"

He went to get his food and Elizabeth looked briefly in his direction. Georgie was as polite with him as she was with everyone – a significant difference from the attitudes of Elizabeth's other family members toward Jason, Robin included.

"Did Dad say someone asked you out, Lizzie?" Robby asked, putting his game away and digging into his shake.

"Mac told you someone asked me out?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow. Mac normally didn't confide in his son about his nieces' relationships.

"No, I heard him telling Mom when she asked how you were. He gloated a lot."

Elizabeth laughed. "Yeah, one of Mac's cadets asked me on a date; I thought about turning him down, but he's really cute and –" Robby made a gagging sound at "cute" "Oh be quiet, like you don't think any girls are cute – and he seems nice and plus it would get your dad off my back, so why not?"

"You're going on a date?" Georgie gasped, joining them.

"I really can't keep anything secret anymore, can I?" Elizabeth giggled. "Yeah, one of your dad's cadets asked me for a date this weekend and I agreed. I mean, it's not like I had any other plans or anything."

Georgie smiled. "Good, Elizabeth. I'm glad. You deserve to be happy."

"So do you," Elizabeth noted. "If I remember right, your last date was before you and Dillon broke up, which was…how many summers ago?"

The younger girl waved her hand. "I'm too busy for dating."

"Maybe if you weren't in every club that school has…" Elizabeth laughed.

"I'm not in every club," Georgie said.

"Almost every club," her brother teased.

"You're no help, Robby."

"Well duh."

"Anyway, I'm happy. You aren't," Georgie shrugged.

"It's just one date, you know," Elizabeth emphasized. The people in her family expected too much from one date, she realized. She wouldn't be surprised if both Maxie and Mac were already planning her wedding to Brandon Summers, although they would be sadly disappointed when they realized Elizabeth had no intention of ever re-marrying.

"One date can always turn into another."

"Since when did you get so romantic?"

"Who knows; maybe I've been listening to Maxie too long."

The door slammed shut and Elizabeth looked up, started. She glanced around the diner before noticing the seat Jason had occupied only moments ago. He was gone.

XOXO

Dr. Ewen Keenan had always considered himself a gracious man; perhaps a little secretive and shady, but gracious nonetheless. He did his job without complaint and he liked to think he helped people – not always in an orthodox manner, but sometimes in order to get the job done, you had to become a little creative. This, however; this was his unpleasant past coming back to bite him. One little job that started out as a way to pay his bills while he searched for a position in a private practice and now he might lose his medical license for good.

"I told you not to call," Sam hissed again.

"Like I told you, we have a problem," he insisted, tapping his fingers on his office desk. He knew it was risky calling his former partner through this line, but it was a risk he was willing to take at present.

"What problem could that be? We haven't worked together in over a year; it can't be anything that important. Don't tell me it's because Elizabeth rejected you, again."

"Listen to me!" he shouted, frustrated, not only with Sam but also that Elizabeth Zacchara had not once, not twice, but thrice rejected his offer for dinner. He blamed her sister; he didn't have anything against Robin, but he knew that she disliked him and he wouldn't be surprised if she turned Elizabeth against him. "This is about the job we did together before you decided to target Morgan and then fell hopelessly in love with him, or so you claim."

"Of course I'm in love with him, you idiot. You mean getting rid of the body? What happened, Keenan? You never got your paycheck? If you think I'll share with you, you should know better."

"Yes, Samantha, I did receive my payment," he rolled his eyes. Really, how did he ever get mixed up with someone as daft as Sam McCall? Ewen made a mental note to always check the IQ's of his partners before agreeing to work with them; maybe then the conversations wouldn't be half this irritating.

"I told you never to call me that," she said, in a dangerous, low tone that indicated she'd have no problem putting a bullet in his brain if the situation demanded it.

"I wouldn't have to call you Samantha if you would listen to me."

"Fine," she said, exasperated. "What's the problem and why should I care?"

"Well, I've just received word that there was more to this than we were told…"

"It doesn't matter if we didn't know everything; it's been over a year, I doubt we need to know details. It's not like the cops are pounding at our doors. Of course, if a cop is pounding at your door, you know what'll happen if you give me away as an accomplice."

"How disappointing," Ewen commented, ignoring her not-so-subtle threat. "I thought you'd be interested to hear about this, as it concerns a certain…fiancé of yours."

"Jason? What does this have to do with Jason?"

"Oh nothing, simply that the body we disposed of is, in fact, alive."

"And I care why?"

"That body? Just so happens to belong to his five-year old son."

XOXO

**Well, there you have it. I didn't plan for Brandon to ask her on a date so soon after meeting her, but he decided he wanted to. I will tell you one thing: as of this point, Brandon is a good guy (and not a fake good guy-actually-working-for-criminal-Jerry like Ewen.) He's just a normal, rare good guy.**

**I didn't originally intend to have Jakey alive, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought why not and realized who might have him. Who is that? Well…you'll see. *cackles***


End file.
